


Hunter's Game

by demonshide7



Category: Jung Leo, Jung Taekwoon - Fandom, Kim Ravi, Kim Wonshik - Fandom, VIXX
Genre: ChaBin, M/M, Male to Male, wontaek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-09 13:51:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6909982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonshide7/pseuds/demonshide7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a predator meets another predator...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting

The Aossi had remained the same since time immemorial and while some were more feral than others, they were incredibly beautiful.  And Kim Wonshik knew that he was one of them the minute Wonshik spied him moving in the crowded subway car. 

Sleek, this man wasn’t, but the fair face was immediately a flag to the creature he was.  The Aossi had managed to hide in plain sight. However, their ‘fair-of-face’ feature didn’t change.   
  
Kim Wonshik was sure of it.  That creature was one of theirs. 

The creature in particular whipped his head towards him and when their eyes met, Wonshik could not hide the awe he felt.  There was power blasting through those eyes as well as irritation directed at him.  The human world didn’t know it, but most of those who look other worldly amongst them probably was.  And this creature was. 

He wasn’t being overt about his prettiness.  He hid it behind an overly large gray hoodie, in fact.   Something that Wonshik did as well.  However, the creature had passed by Wonshik and the light just happened to hit just right.  His pants, though, were skin tight.  Dark washed jeans poured over molded thighs and long, long legs. 

The upturned eyes turned into slits and the creature’s nose flared. 

Uh-oh… The creature was a hunter.  Wonshik gulped and smiled.  He licked his lips.  The creature narrowed his eyes and when the door opened to the terminal, Wonshik felt someone sidle next to him. 

Warm breath on his neck was all he felt.  And a whisper he thinks he may have imagined that said, “We’ll meet again, Aossi.  Count on it.”

Wonshik grabbed the back of the chair he was near at.  He felt the creature had gone with the crowd out the doors of the subway car, but the effect he had…

   
~*~*~

  
The next time Wonshik saw him was at a function for high society.  Gone was the scruffy hoodie, but before him stood a handsome man in blood red hair, bangs shaped to fall nicely over his forehead and sometimes his eyes.  He was in a black and white tuxedo.  And next to him stood one of the fairer Aossi in the entertainment circles, Kim Jaejoong, Kim Wonshik’s cousin.  Kim Junsu sidled up to him and said, “If you’re wondering who that young one is, that’s Jung Yunho’s cousin, Jung Taekwoon.”

Jung Yonghwa, another Aossi his family was well acquainted with, clapped Wonshik on the shoulder and said, “Mine, too, in case you wanted an introduction.”

Kim Wonshik smiled.  “Cousin Junsu,” he greeted the older man with a bow.

Junsu returned the greeting with kisses on his forehead and nose.

Kim Heechul laughed behind Wonshik and said, “Since I’m sort of like your guardian, let me help you, cousin.  You’re now going to be living in the same house that Jung Taekwoon will be living in.  It’s a mansion of sorts.  You will be living with four other people besides Taekwoon.  You think you can handle it?”

Wonshik smiled and said, “Living overseas has taught me much, cousin Heechul, I look forward to it.”

“Don’t you want to know who else will be in the house with you?” Heechul asked.

“No need.  I’ll navigate myself around them,” Wonsik said.

“Where does he get that confidence?” Junsu grumbled. 

Kim Jaejoong, Kim Junsu and Kim Heechul were his cousins.  Since his parents took the druid way, the three had seen to it that he was well cared for.  If there were anything to say about his self-confidence, it was gained through watching them three.  Kim Junsu was a real estate mogul, Kim Heechul was an entertainment business mogul and Kim Jaejoong was 'just' a fashion industry mogul he says. Between the three of them, Kim Wonshik had no lack of money.  His parents’ fortune were quadrupled by the three.  However, Wonshik knew, like they had drilled into him, that even he needed a dream to pursue. 

And he was pursuing them, in Los Angeles.

Until Wonshik met him on the train in Seoul during a vacation here.

~*~*~

Perhaps he should have asked his cousins about his new housemates. 

One referred to himself as Ken, the other as N, someone pointed to the other and said he was an artwork, and the last one was just, well… Sanghyuk.  He pulled it out of the youngest one, Sanghyuk, that the artwork was named Hongbin.  It took some time to sort out, but Ken was indeed Lee Jaehwan, N was Cha Hakyeon, and Lee Hongbin was the artwork.  Han Sanghyuk was apparently their youngest one.  The three eldest was N, Taekwoon whom they called Leo, and Ken.  The artwork and Wonshik were of the same age.  They were all part of the Aossi, excepting N who was adopted by the Aossi Cha family. 

In the three days that Wonshik had been in the house, not once had he seen Taekwoon/Leo.  And he didn’t know how, but somehow, his name was now Ravi.  And it was Taekwoon who named him. How that even happened, Wonsik had no clue.  The fourth day was a little better.

He ran into Taekwoon literally. 

He wasn’t looking, he admitted.  But the hard wall of muscles that met him was not something he attributed to the delicate looking Jung Taekwoon.  It wasn’t some weeks yet and the deep red hair he saw at the gala was now a rich chestnut color.  He had been engrossed into the latest IPhone that Heechul hyung had bought for him that he didn’t see Taekwoon until he was really smacked dabbed into the middle of his chest.

N came in screaming at Wonshik to get away from Leo.  Hyuk had entered and his hand was on his throat.  Hongbin had paused and he did seem like a statue.  Ken managed to swallow his bite of sandwich.

Wonshik was clearly baffled.  He felt arms go around his shoulders and he was turned away from the other four.

“He can,” Taekwoon said before the arms around Wonsik were removed.

Wonshik looked at the four other guys whose jaw was slack.  Wonsik turned to watch Taekwoon’s retreating back being obscured by the door of his room. 

“I didn’t mean to bump into him,” Wonshik explained. 

N narrowed his eyes at Wonshik and asked, “Who are you, Ravi, that Leo says you’re allowed to touch him?”

“I’m Kim Wonshik, that’s all I am, really,” Wonshik declared. 

“Rapper extraordinaire, lyricist and composer, I heard,” a new voice said. 

“Kim Wonshik, meet Jung Yunho, Leo hyung’s brother and guardian,” Lee Hongbin introduced.

Kim Wonshik bowed respectfully. Jung Yunho was a familiar sight to him. Jaejoong hyung and Yunho hyung together, glued to the hip...and other parts Kim Wonshik had had the unfortunate luck to have walked in on more than once... Yes, Jung Yunho was as familiar to him as Kim Jaejoong. The eldest of the Jung children, he was the on family businesses. He was a ruthless businessman, but Jaejoong hyung seems to make him melt like butter.

“I thought you were cousins,” Kim Wonshik said.  “Junsu hyung said he was your cousin.”

Yunho laughed.  “He is technically my brother, but truthfully, he is indeed, my uncle’s son,” Yunho explained.  “There is trouble in their family so, my father adopted him.” 

“Ah, I see,” Ravi nodded.

“So Kim Wonshik,” Jung Yunho smiled.  “I’m glad to see you again.”

“I’m ready, hyung,” Jung Taekwoon said from his door.  He was dressed in casual blue slacks with his  blue blazer over it.  He also wore a black button down shirt. 

“You taking care of Jaejoongie’s favorite cousin, Leo?” Yunho asked.

“I named him.”

“Ah.  Indeed then,” Yunho agreed with a gleeful smile.  “What did you name him?”

“Ravi,” Taekwoon said.

“Why ‘Ravi’ in particular?” Yunho asked.

“Because,” Taekwoon answered.  “I liked it.”

Then Leo sighed deeply and looked at Wonshik.  Wonshik could only return the gaze.  Again, Leo sighed and left the living room leaving the front door open.  Wonshik let out a deep sigh, his gaze lingered longingly over the open door. 

Yunho chuckled.  “I’ll have to send someone to help you out, dude, seriously.”  He, too, followed out the door and closed it behind him. 

~*~*~

  
He didn’t know it but apparently, he was now called Ravi by everyone in the school. 

“Kim Wonshik?  Who’s that?  Oh!  Ravi!”

He apparently lived in the VIXX house.  He knew it represented the building number 61010, but whatever.  He was Kim Ravi that lived in VIXX house with the famous housemates.  Ah, yes, he was also related to the three famous Kim cousins.    

The name that Jung Taekwoon had given him apparently was his now, whether he liked it or not. 

Three days after the meeting with Jung Yunho, he was presented with a book by the studious Shim Changmin.  He was apparently Jung Yunho’s personal secretary, although he was just as wealthy.  Another chaebol.  Another of the Aossi.  Changmin did as Yunho bid although usually with a surly countenance.  This was the man that was always after his cousin Jaejoong’s food. 

“This is payment for the feast I’m going to have, Kim Ravi,” Shim Changmin  said.  “I did intense research on it.  You should do well.”

And with that, he abruptly left Wonshik alone.  Oh, excuse him, Ravi now.  He might as well forget the name Wonshik.  He will have to ask Tae… er… Leo why ‘Ravi’.  That is, when he was allowed to speak with him.  If he ever can.

 

Ravi made a few friends.  Ken and Hongbin seemed to have taken him under their wings… er… protection.  Ah, what the hell.  Ken and Hongbin or Bini or Artwork decided he was okay to be with. Ken and Hongbin had introduced him to a few more people in the campus.  Some are part of the Aossi, but they were nothing like Jung Taekwoon.  Some were humans pure and simple.  There was a group that the VIXX people liked to hang out with it seemed.  Kai, from the EXO dormitories, looked at the book in his hand and looked at him strangely.

“Studies on capturing the attention of a hunter and keeping it.  How to interest one Jung Taekwoon.  Really, Ravi?  You’re going after Jung Taekwoon?  That’s going to be difficult.  He’s so… consistently inconsistent…” Kai said.

“Huh?”

“The book you have.”

Ravi looked at the book that Shim Changmin had given him.  It was indeed the title.  And Shim Changmin was the one that researched it.   According to the notes in the first page there was only one of them. 

"It was given to me by Shim Changmin sunbaenim,” Ravi said.  “I guess I’m supposed to read it?”

Kai laughed.  Hongbin saw it and laughed. 

“I suggest you cover it with something else, Kim Ravi,” Hongbin said.  “Before other people start trying to take it from you.”

Ravi looked around him for something to cover it when Ken handed him a paper from his sketch pad.  It was big enough to cover the book. Ravi thanked his housemate gratefully and proceeded to cover the book properly. 

Ken took the book from him and wrote on the spine “To Know the Kenjumma.”  Then he wrote on the cover “Artwork for Sale” which had Hongbin chasing him around the tree they had consistently occupied during breaks.

Kai took the time to write upside down on the spine, “Kai’s Property.”

Kai winked at Ravi and left for his class with a smile on his face.

 

_Chapter 1:  Man, read the Art of War, for heaven’s sakes!  You should at least do some research first!  It’s the classic textbook for anything that requires strategy!  Get your head out of your posterior end!  Why do I have to do this crap for some snot nosed kid? There’s space on the bottom of this chapter for your own freaking personal notes, okay?  Do some field observations!  Geez!_

 

Ravi sighed.  Then he shrugged.  Obviously, this book will be an easy read.  The author obviously didn’t want to do it.  He flipped through the book and came upon a page. 

 

_“A few notes on the subject:  Jung Leo that someone might not ever know.  This is directly dictated from the current dictator, Jung Yunho.”_

_1)      Jung Leo is shy_

_2)      Jung Leo hates aegyo_

_3)      Jung Leo likes soccer, taekwondo, swimming, boxing, dancing, singing_

_4)      You would do well, young jedi, to know that beneath that cold exterior lies a warm heart._

_5)      I hate to tell you but the heart is surrounded by loads of thorns, minefields, moats, dragons, loads of arsenals, loads of generals, loads of… You know what… step on it.  If it blows up, you’ll know exactly what you walked into.  –Shim Changmin._

 

Ravi rolled his eyes.  Damn.  So, Jung Leo won’t be easy.  He already knew that.  His eyes scrolled down to a hand written note at the bottom of the page.

 

_PS… If you really want to pursue Jung Leo, I suggest you first think about WHY you’re pursuing Jung Leo.  Taekwoonnie isn’t someone you should play with because he’s so...emotional.  He keeps a lot of things bottled up.  If you love Jung Taekwoon with all your heart, then go for it.  If it’s nothing more than that, I suggest you keep it simple and just be friends._

_-          Jung Joonyoung (his other brother/cousin - the handsomest of the Jung brothers...)_

__The handsome part was lined out in red pen. Wonshik wondered if Changmin might have crossed it off.

 


	2. Art of War - Changmin's Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to catch a predator... a good question...

So, how to get to know more on Jung Leo?  Soccer. 

Ravi joined the soccer team.  He was apparently not bad.  Probably thanks to one of his guardians.  And even despite the fact that he had joined it for one reason or another, he actually got to enjoy it. 

Especially when Jung Leo took the time to toss him a water bottle every now and again.“Good job!” Kim Jaejoong cheered his cousin, enthusiastically. Jung Yunho and Kim Jaejoong came to the first practice skirmish.  
  
“You have a cheerleading section,” Leo told Ravi.

Ravi smiled at the other as he looked at his cousin who was jumping up and down even as Jung Yunho tried to calm him down.  It was just practice!  So, okay he scored a goal.  It wasn’t as if they were playing against a tough opponent.

“They practically raised me,” Ravi told the older man.  “So, everything I do seems to be part of their accomplishments as well.   Good thing that Mr. Park Yuchun is arriving today and not in Europe.  If he wasn’t, Junsu would also be here.”

Leo nodded briefly and left.

Ravi smiled to himself.  The first conversation they had.  Wow.  He did most of the talking, but it was a start. So, what exactly did he need to keep Jung Leo talking?

His other teammates clapped him on the shoulder saying how incredibly tight knit the Kim family was.  They all knew who Kim Jaejoong was.  He was after all, a celebrated entertainer.  All his three hyungs were famous in one capacity or another.

Kim Junsu came to the next practice and was coaching Ravi as well.  The soccer team crowded around Junsu waiting to get his autograph. 

Junsu was a great soccer player who played because he loved the game.  He was so good that the National team had asked him to be part of it.  He joined the Exhibition team, but the Olympic team meant a commitment he couldn’t do.  Not when he was running his real estate empire and taking care of Kim Ravi as well.  It would have meant that Junsu would miss a lot of Wonshik moments and if Junsu knew his two hyungs, they would send him pictures of all he missed and he would just get pissed.  So, he chose not to go to the Olympic team.  However, even in the Exhibition team, Kim Junsu was a star.

“He’s your hyung?” Leo asked him.

“Yes, hyung, he’s my cousin,” Ravi answered.  “He’s one of the three that took me in.”

“The last one is Kim Heechul,” Leo said.

Ravi nodded.  “You’ll probably see him in one of the matches we’ll be doing.”

Leo nodded and again turned away.

Ravi sighed.  A little more than the other time.  He wondered if he should start counting the words.  Just to make himself feel like he was making progress.

~*~

Ravi swam up and down the Olympic sized pool at midnight. 

Once Ravi had seen the pool in what was the conservatory of VIXX house and knew that it was heated, he often used it late at night when he needed to relax.  It was not the same as swimming in the Pacific, but it was still swimming.  California’s Pacific Ocean wasn’t as warm as Hawaii’s Pacific Ocean.  It was cold, but on a hot, hot Southern California day, the cold Pacific was great.  Since he liked to surf, Ravi had learned to swim early on.

He swam powerfully first, then when his breath had started to heave, he turned on his back and just lazily floated. And thought about how to go about learning more about Jung Leo. His research into the man was like watching protozoa on suspended animation. It was fascinating, the tidbits he gleaned, but it was so slow going. The man was proving to be ... Challenging...

A splash had him turning upright in the water.  Someone else had joined him.

“You should tell someone you’ll be here,” Leo warned as he approached Ravi’s position.

“I’m usually not long in the pool, hyung,” Ravi said.

“Either way, it’s not a good idea to swim alone.  If you find yourself cramping up, you could drown.  If you like to swim, come and wake me, I will either swim with you or sit there and watch,” Leo said.

“But hyung, it’s midnight.  Usually, everyone is asleep at this time,” Ravi reasoned.

“I will wake up for you,” Leo said firmly.

“The servants know I was in here,” Ravi said.

“Most of them do not know how to swim!” Leo exclaimed.  He took a deep breath.  His piercing gaze speared Ravi’s.

“Kim Wonshik, if you know what’s good for you, wake me when you want to swim.  I do not care what time of day or night it is.  Wake me.  Or you can wake the others.  Excepting our artwork.  He, of all people, do not know how to swim and at the moment does not even want to learn!"

Ravi almost wanted to leap up in delight. Of course, he didn't want to point out that his personal guards could swim. 

Each housemate had their own bodyguards. Leo had two stationed at all times by his door.

Ravi's guards knew every sport he knew since it was required by Heechul hyung that they accompanied him in any excursions.  Maybe that incident where he got lost while hiking in snow might have triggered that particular edict. Or that time they couldn't find him because he was rock climbing. There was an incident when he was young... something with cowboys and a burning fever.  And that attempted kidnapping while he was fishing alone in the lake on his Hobie.

“I’ll keep it in mind, hyung.  Sorry to disturb you,” Ravi said.  “Do you want to swim?  I’m done, I think.  But I’ll keep you company if you want since we’re not allowed to swim alone.”

Leo sighed and then nodded.  Ravi watched as Leo cleanly cut through the water.  His strokes were clean, powerful.  Apparently, he was a strong swimmer.  Probably as good as or even better than Ravi.  Ravi swam to the edge of the pool and hauled himself out.  He drip dried as he watched Leo swim back and forth in the pool much as he had done earlier.

When the other indicated that he was done, Ravi reached into the towel bin and had a towel ready to hand to the other man.

“You look good out there,” Ravi complimented.

“You, too.”

“Did you compete in swimming?” Ravi asked, curious.

The other nodded.  “Won, too.”

“Huh?  Oh, you won the competitions as well,” Ravi said.

The other nodded grinning a little.  If Ravi hadn’t been watching, he would have missed it.  It was gone a second after.

“You’re very competitive, aren’t you, hyung?” Ravi asked.

The intense gaze was again leveled at him.

“Yunho hyung says so,” Leo almost whispered.

“That’s good,” Ravi said.  “Most of the time, I’m the same.  That is… if I deem the prize worth fighting or competing for."

Leo nodded.

“Well, it’s very late, hyung,” Ravi said.  “I’m taking a shower and hitting the sack.”

Leo again nodded.  Ravi turned towards the conservatory door and stopped abruptly.  Leo smacked into his back and lost his balance.  Ravi grabbed his arm and wrapped an arm around the other man to keep him steady.

“Sorry, hyung,” Ravi apologized, straightening the other man right away.

“Why stop?” the other asked.

“I was just wondering if you were also going to go on to your room,” Ravi explained.

“Well, where else would I go?  As you pointed out, it’s late,” Leo said.

Ravi gave a small bark of laughter.  “Yeh, hyung.  I guess so.”

Leo gave him a look that spoke volumes.  This one was disgruntled and said, ‘Don’t ask stupid questions.’

Ravi reluctantly let go of the other man.  He watched as Leo went to his room and closed the door without looking back.  Ravi shook his head.  The longest conversation they have had!  Wow!  He made his way to his room and he was shocked to see that it was close to four in the morning!  He groaned.  He had morning classes.  They started at 8.  He quickly took his shower and towel dried his hair.  He sat on the sofa at the end of his bed with only a robe on and promptly fell asleep.

He woke to Leo shaking him awake forcefully.  “You have one hour before you are absolutely late.  And it takes 20 minutes from here to your first class of the day,” the other said. 

A cup of coffee was shoved into his hands.  Ravi woke abruptly.  He nodded his thanks and the other left.

Hongbin was waiting for him at the door when he had gotten dressed 20 minutes later.

“I heard the ice prince invaded your room and woke you today,” Hongbin smiled.

Ravi nodded.  “Only three hours sleep,” he explained.  “Can’t believe he looked fresh as a freaking daisy.  Has he left?”

Hongbin matched Ravi’s strides as they walked briskly towards their class.  Hongbin was taking advance physics with Ravi.

“Yeah.  His class started at 7:30 today,” Hongbin said.

“Man!  What class is that?” Ravi asked.

“International business law,” Hongbin answered.

“Ugh!  I took that in the States, thank god,” Ravi said.  “And that was at night.  I used to go and exercise lightly before I took the class so I would be running on adrenaline when I get to class.”

Hongbin laughed.  “He has another class that starts at 6 AM.”

Ravi looked at Hongbin and asked, “And what kind of class starts THAT early?”

“Piano, Private Lesson,” Hongbin said.

“Ah, I see,” Ravi said.

“How’s your project going?  The book give you any insights?”

Ravi gave a short bark of laughter.  “Are you kidding me?  Changmin sunbaenim’s research feels more like… guidelines on how to win in business than anything insightful.  About the only thing I got from it was that I need to internalize Sun Tzu’s AoW. So far, stuck on observations.

Hongbin laughed.  “That’s usually how any good skirmish occurs.  An observation of one’s opponent.”

“Right.  So getting to know your opponent is great, except mine is a little… hard to approach.  He hardly speaks,” Ravi noted.

Ken joined their stride as they all had the same subject.  “Your taming the lion project?”

Hongbin nodded.  “Yup.  He’s still observing and not getting anywhere.”

“I think we had the longest conversation last night,” Ravi chuckled.  “He was scolding me for going into the pool without one of you guys.”

Ken turned Ravi around and shook him.  “Don’t do that!  Wake one of us!!!!  Hyung’s friend almost died because he went swimming without anyone there!  And that guy was a strong swimmer!!!!  Oh my god!  How could you?!?!”

Ravi’s body felt like a rag doll.

Hongbin finally stopped Ken.

Ravi blinked.  He sighed.  “Talk about walking on minefields.  How the heck was I supposed to know that?”

Ken nodded.  “Well now you know.”

“One down, God knows how many more to go,” Ravi muttered.

They entered the classroom and found N and Hyuk’s gaze on them.

Hyuk laughed and clapped Ken on the shoulder.  Then he leveled Ravi with his gaze.

“You should know who belongs to whom around here,” Hyuk said.   He winked at Ravi and laughed while leaving out the door.

N looked at Hongbin and then at Ken then he turned to Ravi and the door opened just as he opened his mouth to say, “Jung Taekwoon is mine.”

Ravi was taken aback.

“So is Ken, Hyuk and Hongbin,” N said.

Leo looked at N and said, “I am no one’s.  I am my own.  You’re going to miss class.  Come.”

Kai came in and encircled Ravi around his waist from behind.

“If they’re all yours, can I have this one?”  Kai asked N.

N glared at Kai.

“No one gets my housemates except me.  They’re all mine.  But within the house, because he was last, he must know that the rest were mine first.  Mine, understand?”

Leo sighed a long suffering sigh.  “HakYeon-ah.  I may be your friend, but I like having others as friends, too.  Besides, Kim Ravi is the trio’s cousin.  They are his guardians.  Think about it, hmmm?  Now, class is almost starting.  Do you really want to miss it?”

N glared at Kai.  He forcefully tore Kai’s arms from Ravi and gave Ravi a hug.

“I don’t mind you going after Leo, but ask me first.  I want you to understand where I stand,” N whispered.

Ravi nodded.

“I’ll be home at 5 today.  I’ll be in the pool if not in my room.  Let me know where you are, I’ll come find you,” Ravi told N.  “Go now, before Jung Leo kills you and me both for making him late.”

N nodded.  Leo gave Ravi a speaking glance, but took N’s elbow and led him out of the lecture hall.

“I thought Highschool was bad,” Kai muttered.  “Don’t fall for N, Ravi.  He’s a complicated fluff ball.”

“Nah, N… I had him figured since day one,” Ravi chuckled.  “He’s making sure that the house remains as it is, with no factions going one way or another or some such thing.”

Kai looked at Hongbin and laughed.  “Yeah, I’m sure it’s some such whatever,” Kai chuckled.

Hongbin sighed.  “So where in your notes would this fall under?”

Ravi laughed.

“Chapter Two.  Knowing the terrain,” Ravi answered.  “The author obviously thought that AoW’s rules were the way to go.”

“It takes a hunter to understand AoW,” Kai said.  “You’re hunting.”

Ravi laughed.  “Is that a possible problem? Isn't it better to hunt before one is hunted?"

Ken looked at Ravi seriously and said, “Jung Leo is a hunter as well.  You know this, Aossi.  You would have seen that right away. Hunting a hunter needs some finesse."

Hongbin laughed then.  “That’s why he was so interested that he decided to move back here from the States,” Hongbin clarified.  “Love at first sight.”

“It wasn’t love.  Intrigue,” Ravi clarified.  “The desire to know more.”

“Love,” Ken nodded.  “Le Sin Set syndrome.  Everyone suffers from it to some degree.”

“So what does Chapter two entail?” Hongbin asked.

Ravi shook his head. Chapter 2 in Shim Changmin's book was...


	3. Art of War - Know the Terrain

_Chapter 2: Know the Terrain_

_“Seriously, dude, you should just read AoW.  Because it would make it so much easier for me.  Anyway, dictator said so and I get food from this endeavor.  Let me tell you about chiefs of state around your precious Jung Leo._

  
_You should have already surmised that he isn’t called Leo for no reason._

_1)      Cha Hakyeon – be careful of him._

_2)      Lee Jaehwan – otherwise known as Ken who likes to imitate all sorts of insects and old ladies.  Be careful of him._

_3)      Lee Hongbin – I would warn you to stay the crap out of his way.  He smiles, but behind that damn façade is well… whatever, your minefield and not mine_

_4)      Han Sanghyuk – Him I would definitely try and get into my corner.  Because he’s the maknae of the group, I’ll tell you  now, he’s got all the lowdown as well.  Hyukkie deals in dirt because that’s what all maknaes do.  I should know.  I got dirt up my… well anyway._

_5)      Jung Yunho – since you have Kim Jaejoong on your side, it’s pretty much given that Jung Yunho won’t pose any threat to you._

_6)     Did I mention to be careful of Cha Hakyeon?  The N effect is real.  You really should be wary of his ‘mothering’ tendencies towards Leo._

_Ah, yes.  Jung Yonghwa and Jung Joonyoung, get both of them on your side.  Believe me, it’ll be much easier.  Yonghwa is adopted, but Joonyoung is biological.  You will not get better allies than Joonyoung since he helped raise the damn kid.  Yonghwa is always mischievous, but adores Leo.  So… get help from them._

_And by the effing way, why am I effing doing all the homework for you?  You better tell your brother/cousin that I did work for you!  Dammit!  That feast better be worth this headache_ _._

~*~

Ravi cornered Sanghyuk first.

Sanghyuk coerced lunch from Ravi who was more than happy to provide for the younger man.

“College is hell, ain’t it, hyung?” Hyuk asked.

Ravi grunted.  “It was much easier before I met someone,” Ravi muttered.

“You know, I’m in your corner, hyung, believe it or not,” Hyuk said.

“Really?  Then can you tell me about N.  What’s his deal?”

Hyuk laughed as he bit into his expensive Wagyu beef steak.  “N hyung is a great person to have in your corner, hyung.  He’s just got this possessive streak a mile long.  And no one comes between him and his… toys… we’re all his.  Even you.  But he’s really possessive about two people in the house.  The first is Leo hyung.  The second is Hongbin hyung.  Although Hongbin hyung will tell you that Leader Cha is only super possessive of Leo hyung.  You’ll see what I mean.”

“I have seen that, but Leo hyung isn’t happy with this… possessiveness,” Ravi said.

“No.  Leo hyung is a loner.  It takes him a while to warm up to people.  Even those he’s fascinated with. And maybe especially those that he’s fascinated with,” Hyuk laughed.  “But if you listened to what he has to say when he says it, they’re like… Buddhist tenets… deep… and worthy of being listened to."

“Each word is like… gemstones… precious…”

“Right.  Since it’s so… rare.  N hyung likes talking.  He can’t stand the silence.  He thinks it’s a void and needs to be filled,” Sanghyuk said.

“To get N in my corner, what should I do?”

Hyuk laughed.  “I think you’re going to need a little balance here.  You getting closer to N will cause… someone else or two of them to get… annoyed or so,” Hyuk explained.  “The things is, hyung, do you want to stir the pot to be able to see what comes up?”

“What do you mean?”

“In chemistry, hyung, there is a process in which you stir in two elements and out comes a third element, right?  The thing is, if you mix two elements with different density, the one that is heaviest will sit at the bottom of the crucible.  And the lighter element at the top.  If you stir the contents of the crucible, that heavier element mixes with the lighter one and rises to the top,” Hyuk explained.

“This is basic chemistry, what of it?”

“There are heavier things at the bottom of our crucible, the house, us… So, if you get closer to N hyung, you will be bringing those heavier elements from the bottom and making it rise to the surface.  Will you be prepared if there is an explosion?”

“Is it detrimental?  Does it affect Leo hyung?"

“Yes, possibly detrimental if not handle correctly.  And definitely…” Hyuk said, a smirk gracing his lips.

Ravi thought.  What could it possibly be?

“The thing about experimentation, hyung, is to know whether the risk far outweighs the gain.  This is also true in business as well,” Hyuk advised. "This as well."

Ravi nodded.  It was indeed true. The boy was on the money. So...what should this hunter do next?

~*~*~

Confrontation with Leader Cha was at the VIXX house.

“I know I’m not one of you,” N said without preamble as soon as he’s served Ravi with some tea.

Ravi raised one brow at him.

“The Aossi."

“Ah,” Ravi said.  Well, N was adopted by the Aossi, it was inevitable that he would notice.

“I wondered why I was dark and they were so fair and they were also very… charismatic… or something…” N said.  “Like all of you guys here.”

“Ah,” Ravi said again.  Leader Cha sometimes just needed to talk and if Ravi just made the appropriate noises he’ll soon calm down.

“However, you are still the newest of the bunch,” N said.  “No matter what, you should have come to me first.  You’re one of mine now.  I have responsibilities towards you and you towards me.  I take care of my own.  In this campus, you belong to VIXX house.  In VIXX house, I lead.  My rules are absolute.”

Ravi nodded.  He already knew that.

“So, it bothers me that you didn’t even ask if Leo belonged to someone, if he was mine,” N said.  “Because he is."

Ravi swallowed.  Did he really walk into a minefield?  But Leo seemed… alone… Not lonesome… Just… he stood… alone… Like yes he was part of VIXX house, but yet... Not. He always stood a little bit away from everyone else.

“Well, I wanted him to be mine… Except he doesn’t want to be claimed by me… at least… not in that way…” N said his dark eyes glinting with a sadness that Ravi could palpably see.

Ravi stayed still.  He didn’t know what to tell N.  
He wanted Leo. His instincts were aroused. N was no match for Ravi. A hunter hunts with information behind him. An Aossi hunter hunts with millenia of experiences behind him.

“But I won’t give up.  I won’t give him to you unless I think you’ll make him happy.  You’ll have to work hard for Leo,” N told him, those same dark eyes glinting with warning and a little irritation.  “And if you’re going for Leo, I suggest not getting too close to Hongbin or Ken or Hyuk or anyone else from the other dorms.  Leo has to know that you only want him.  If he feels you don’t, he’ll ignore you.”

“He’s good at that now,” Ravi muttered. "I hardly register in his radar."

“I heard that, Ravi.  He’s not easy.  Did you think that the King of the Jungle is easy?”

Ravi sighed.  “If you hadn’t been able to get past his walls, hyung, why in heaven’s name do you think I’m a threat?”

“You have the eastern gods in your favor, you really think I shouldn’t consider you a contender?” Cha Hakyeon glared at Ravi.  “Dong Bang Shin Ki does not rise unless it’s for love, profit, or mischief.  It must be gain. Leo does not like mischief.  Leo being interested is enough for me to think you’re something else."

“Wait.  Leo hyung is interested?”  Ravi asked in wonderment.

“He named you.  That’s proof enough that he’s interested,” N sneered.

“But, he also named other people.  Like Hongbin and Ken and you,” Ravi said.

“I named myself.  Okay… you have a point… he’s named other people he wasn’t really interested in,” N said.  “But he named you Ravi which means delightful."

“And he said ‘just because’ as well,” Ravi countered.

“Just… don’t hurt him,” N said.  “If you’re serious about him, I’ll give you my blessing.  But hurt him and you’ll answer to me. I may not be Aossi, but I can still make you miserable."

Ravi nodded.

“Remember… mine first…”

The door banged open and a disgruntled, extremely displeased Leo came into the sitting room.

He glared at N and ignored Ravi.

“You missed practice, Kim Wonshik.  The Captain said to tell you that you are to report to the track now.  And you will probably do laps.  I suggest you leave now,” he said. 

His tone brooked no leeway.

Ravi stood and bowed to N and bowed to Leo and ran as fast as his legs could take him to the track where the Captain of the Soccer team greeted him.

“I didn’t need you here, Kim Ravi.  I knew that Cha Hakyeon wanted you to speak with him about house affairs so I expected that you wouldn’t be here today,” the Captain said.

“Oh, geez!” Ravi groaned.  “I’m sorry, hyung.  I have to get back to the house before Leo tears N apart!”

“Oh, I can definitely see that happening!  I’ll pray that you and N are going to be okay!” the Captain shouted as he laughed and waved to the sprinting man.

Ravi got back into the house in record time.  And a minute or so after, Ken, Hyuk, and Hongbin all came crashing through as well.

The sitting room was a mess.  The teacups were in pieces on the floor, tea and cakes were all dumped and scattered.

The three saw Ravi holding onto a struggling Leo in his arms on the floor.  N was also on the floor.  Hongbin rushed to the fallen leader.

There was nothing wrong with N it seemed.  No broken bones, no lacerations to his face.  Nothing except shock kept him very still.  Like prey before a hunter.

Leo took deep gulping breaths, his hunter's instinct still so deeply seated in his body.

“I wasn’t going to kill him,” Leo said to the room at large when he had himself under control.  “I have enough respect for him not to do that.”

Hongbin had N in his arms as Hyuk called for water and Ken started to clear the broken pieces of china near all the participants.

Ravi was breathing hard holding Leo hard against him, nonetheless, his grip vice like. He was not about to let go after what he had seen. Leo had been growling at N in the midst of that maelstrom. When Ravi had burst into the room, Cha Hakyeon was toppled into the ground and Leo was sitting on top of his chest.

“You can let go now,” Leo told Ravi quietly.

“I don’t want you hurt, hyung.  So until everything is cleared out, just stay like this, okay?  For all our sakes,” Ravi breathed out.  “I don’t mind this.  Just let everyone and everything calm down first.  Just stay like this for a while more, okay?  Please?  For my sake?”

Leo took a deep breath, sighed and then nodded his head once. He flopped his head back onto Ravi's chest.

Hongbin rounded on Ravi.

“Why did you leave them alone?” he asked with more force than was usual for the man.

“Fool’s errand, hyung,” Hyuk answered instead.  “I heard all about it from someone in Track and Field.  Ravi went running to track and field and ran right on back to the house when he figured it was a fool’s errand.”

“Let me catch my breath,” Ravi said, heaving for air.

“What made you come back so fast?” Ken asked just a little disgruntled.  He was directing the maids to clean up the place. This was not something he liked dealing with.

“A fool’s errand always almost means something is about to go down and when you’re dealing with Hunters and humans, it’s a bit… dicey…” Ravi said.  “Believe me, I know.  My three hyungs are hunters and their significant others are all hunters.  Living with a bunch of hunters… it’s… not always easy…  When you’re the weakest of them, you learn to fight on instinct.  And you learn the unspoken rules.  And one of them is what just happened now."

“Don’t get mad at Wonshik,” N said a little too quietly for the man.  “He came just as Leo was about to hit me, I think.”

“You almost deserved it,” Leo said.  “I’ll say it.  I shouldn’t have acted out on my anger.  I was taught better.  But you shouldn’t interfere.  And you shouldn’t go around telling people I’m yours.  Not when I’m my own person, you understand?”

“You let him claim you for the last how many years, hyung, it’s become a habit,” Hongbin explained.

“Be it as it may, he needs to learn when to back off,” Leo said.  “It was getting… burdensome.”

“It was my fault.  I… didn’t think about how Leo would feel about… this…” N said.

“You’re still the leader of the house,” Leo said.  “I will never countermand that, but when it comes to me and my business, let me deal with it, understand?”

N nodded.

Ravi’s hold had loosened over Leo.  Leo felt it and stood up.  He went to N who still lay on Hongbin.  He sat next to N and scooped him up from the floor.  Leo moved N to another sitting room.  Hongbin followed.

“I’m sorry, my friend,” Leo whispered to N.  “I didn’t mean to frighten you or hurt you.”

N nodded unable to say more.

Ravi still lay on the carpet not wanting to move until everyone else was gone.  Ken and Hyuk left to follow the other three.

The maid gasped as Ravi got up.

“Shhh,” he said.  “Don’t tell them.  I’m fine.  Make sure they don’t find that.”

The maids and the guard nodded at Ravi’s command.

His own guards came and took him to the car immediately.  He needed to reach Kim Jaejoong’s house right away.  His guards were instructed to tell the other members of VIXX house that Ravi was called abruptly by Kim Jaejoong.

On his way to the house, Ravi called his cousin.  He asked that Yunho not be told at all or anyone connected to Leo.  He needed his cousin’s help.  When he reached the mansion, he was quickly surrounded by his three hyungs.  They immediately brought him to the emergency medical room in the house.  They looked over his wounds.  One piece of broken china had scraped down his back, cutting his skin open, and one other was embedded deeply in his right arm.  He dared not pull it out for fear that an artery might have been hit.  He was right.  The blood lost when Jaejoong hyung pulled it out was too much for Ravi and he lost consciousness.

When he woke, his back was again whole, though still throbbed like a hot iron brand.  His arm was on fire! The Aossi knew enough magic to not damage who they are. However, there was still intense pain in magic healing as there was in regular medicine.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Leo sleeping beside him in the bed that used to be his when he was a child.

“I couldn’t deny him entry.  Not when he was ready to claw his way into the compound.  And I even ordered lockdown,” Heechul hyung explained quietly.

Junsu was also beside Ravi’s bed.

“The magic used on you dongsaeng wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for him taking on your scars,” Junsu said.

Ravi wanted to shake his head no, but he couldn’t talk or move.

“Not yet time to move, kiddo,” Jaejoong said.  Yunho was next to Jaejoong as was Park Yuchun hyung and Han Geng hyung.

“He smelled your blood,” Yunho told Ravi.  “He wouldn’t be calmed down after.  No one in the whole house could control him.  I was called for.  Nothing but seeing you being mended would calm him down.”

Ravi wanted to plead.  He wanted him healed.  His eyes begged his cousins.  Nothing came from his mouth.  He knew it was Aossi magic to keep him still so he heals faster.

“He’s not hurt, kiddo.  But he bears your scar.  He would have it no other way.  He will bear your scar he said if he cannot bear your pain,” Jaejoong answered his unspoken wish. “I have also settled the others in the guest rooms.  They came also.  Those other four from the VIXX house.”

“They would have helped him scale the walls to get to you one way or another,” Heechul crowed cheerfully.  “I knew they were just the bunch to throw you in with!  Would have sent you to EXO, but there were too many kidlings there.  Your unique sensibilities would have been… forgotten. Or lost in translation… or just plain… whatever.”

“Don’t even try it, kiddo,” Jaejoong chuckled.  “I can see an eye roll even under all that… sedation.”

“That’s better,” Junsu said with a smile. “I can almost hear him chuckle.”

“Get some rest, kiddo.  Another 24 hours and I’ll check up on the two of you,” Jaejoong said.

Ravi felt the heaviness seep through his body and he felt as if he was pulled down into fluffy soft clouds and a dreamless sleep.

He woke but could still not move.  He felt the presence of five other bodies next to him

“Four are lending you their strength, the one human is lending you his support,” Jaejoong said.  “Couldn’t keep them out too long.”

“Can I… ?” Ravi tried speaking, his voice was raspy, dry.

“You can speak.  Don’t move your body.  Only your head,” Jaejoong scolded gently.  “Your body needs a little more sleep and rest, kiddo.”

Ravi nodded.  “Dry, hyung.  Thirsty.”

What happened next was too much for Ravi to process. Cold water was given to him just not conventionally.  As his lips met anothers, a cool trickle slid into his parched mouth. And the one administering this seemed half asleep or was entirely asleep and was doing this as if by some magical trickery or by some rote memory.  Leo went back to sleep after that small act was performed.

Stunned eyes searched Kim Jaejoong’s eyes for answers.

Jaejoong only smiled at Ravi, scoffed and waved his hand.

“Things are not always as it seems, kiddo,” Jaejoong said as he left the sick room.  “Don’t take too long, hey?  Heal soon."

 


	4. Art of War - Laying Trap

 

_“Once you know your terrain, your pitfalls, where your allies are and who they are, you should think about hunting.  The most effective things to hunt a large bodied animal would be to lay a trap.  You need bait, obviously, and you need a large enough space to capture said animal._   
  
_That being said, it’s time for the hunt.  The problem with hunting hunters like LEOpards and El Rey LEOn is that they’re selective in the way they hunt.  And all know that Dominant Male LEOns usually hunt alone.  They do not hunt with their pride.  There is a reason for LEOns being the King of the Jungle, etc._

_This is something you should have learned already so why the F am I repeating it?_

_Even so, hunting comes next.  There is a way to hunt hunters and keep them coming back for more.  It is to act like prey.  And keep that hunter dangling or rather chasing after you._

_Good luck.  Man, I better have a feast, dammit!”_

*~*

Ravi could not go anywhere for a while.  Aossi magic was incredible after all, but it was also hugely burdensome when you have three… no make that seven Aossi sort of looking after you.  Three of which were worry warts… ah, there was as well four more of the Aossi plus one human.

And a very quiet Leo set up a chessboard next to Ravi’s bed when Jaejoong and Junsu hyung said he was able to get up, but not move around.  Quietly and methodically, Ravi figured that Leo was great in strategies.  He decided that chess was too tame for Leo.  He asked Heechul hyung for the Runewars game.

Ravi understood then that Leo was a great strategist.  Runewars may have been a board game, but his hyungs and he always used it to determine how good a person was in strategy.  Someone has been reading more than music sheets.  He wondered if he looked into Leo’s room if he’d find the AoW or Book of Five Rings on Leo’s shelf.

Ravi had asked why Leo would administer water to him using his lips.  Leo looked at him with a look that said “Don’t ask stupid questions.”

“Because it was the only way,” Leo answered when Ravi kept asking.  “You were hurt because I was careless.  It is responsibility. Don’t think about it.”

Ravi wanted to scream.  If only the magic allowed him to.  How the heck was he not supposed to think about it? 

Leo had in some essence or another definitely… kissed… Ravi.  But it was responsibility?  Ravi wanted to tear out his hair in frustration.  The pain of the healing spells were dulled aches now.  But that was… painful…to hear.  He had hoped… he had prayed… hoped… and he was back to square one. 

He felt like a huge fish had wriggled itself loose from his hook.  Perhaps he had just snared a log and pretended it was a fish.  Dammit.

And strategy be damned! 

He couldn’t even think since that time.  He hated being sick as well. And why in heaven’s name was he still unable to speak?  Well, it seemed as if there was a selective thing about the speaking thing.  He couldn’t speak when it was with the other four members of the group.  But when it was just Leo it was okay.  As long as the conversations were innocuous.  Around Heechul hyung, Jaejoong hyung, and Junsu hyung  he was able to speak.  And when he was with Leo, there were times when even trying to speak feels like his mouth was stuck together and nothing comes out.  So his friends that came to visit, like Kai and the soccer team, think he’s under a spell that won’t allow him to speak.

He tried to break out of the house once when he was bored out of his mind.  He didn’t even get past the gate before he was floated right back into his bed.  Junsu wanted to laugh, but Ravi frowned at him.

“Don’t look at me, kiddo, this isn’t mine,” Junsu said.

“Hmmm… Good, you don’t get away from the house until you’re fully healed,” Jaejoong said.

It must have been him.  Ravi wanted to yell, but settled for pouting instead.  Who the heck would go against his handsome cousin Jaejoong?  Not him, not him.  He just has to keep remembering how much the trio loved him. And that cousin Jaejoong knew powerful magic. Even though he wasn't a very good chess player.

It took one and a half weeks before he was allowed back into his regular life.

“So, what was that no speaking thing going with you?” Kai asked.

“That’s just the thing,” Ravi said.  “I still can’t figure it out.  Even Junsu hyung could not find anything on it.  The spell he and the other two laid on me was that I was unable to move until I was healed enough to play soccer again.  Apparently, I lost quite a bit of blood.”

“I would say you did,” Hongbin joined them.  “The gash on your back was huge!  But the shard in your arm was the worst.  There was another deep scrape on your elbow.  Leo hyung took that scar.  The Kims wouldn’t allow him to take the one on your back or the one on your arm.”

“Jaejoong hyung and Heechul hyung had researched these spells since I scraped myself a lot growing up.  Plus, Junsu hyung, too was always in some kind of scrapes.  Unfortunately, each spell, like all things of the Aossi requires some kind of sacrifice,” Ravi explained.

“Or payment,” Hyuk said, interrupting. "I should know, Leo hyung does it all the time. Usually to shut me up."

“Are you supposed to be in this class, Hyukkie?” Hongbin asked.  They were in Metaphysics, a class that dealt with esoteric philosophy.

“No, but hyung, N hyung was looking for you,” Hyuk told Hongbin.

Hongbin nodded.  “Hey, can you guys cover for me?  I mean, take down notes and such.  I’ll go see what the Student Body president has to say.”

Ken snickered which made Hyuk snicker and Hongbin glared at them both as he walked out the door to look for N.

“I’m obviously missing something here,” Ravi said.

“You’re missing a lot, but…” Kai sniggered.

“So…?"

“Nope… Not enlightening you or telling you anything since it has nothing to do with taking a lion down,” Kai said.

“What lion?”

“Your pursuit of Taekwoon, it’s like trying to take a dominant lion down and you’re not exactly an antelope,” Kai answered.

Ken laughed seeing Ravi’s confused expression.

“I’ll tell you this.  N hyung loves Leo hyung, but Hongbin… chases after N hyung,” Ken said.  “Just so you know.  That N hyung only sees Leo hyung even though Leo hyung has made it quite clear that he’s not going to change his mind.  See that?  That’s for free.  You don’t even have to treat me for burgers.”

Ravi laughed.  “Nope, nope.  I can’t let it be said that Kim Wonshik is a person who does not recognize a rare gem when he is handed one or how to pay for it.  Let me treat you to burgers after classes today.  Wait.  I have to go practice.  I haven’t been on the field in a week.  How about after practice?”

“Sure, dude!  Dinner’s on you!” Ken laughed.

“Of course!  Pick the place,” Ravi agreed.

The problem was that his dinner appointment became a date somehow by the time the news arrived in the soccer team lockers.  Junsu had come to help coach them. He smacked Ravi on the head.

“What?!?” Ravi asked.

“Why are you going on a date with Lee Jaehwan when you have a different target in mind?”

“Huh?” Ravi asked.

“Ken?”

“What about Ken, hyung?” Ravi asked confused as crazy.

“I heard you two are on a dinner date tonight,” one of the soccer guys said.  "Hell, didn't know you were targeting Lee Ken."

“I heard that, too!” someone else piped in.

Ravi’s gaze rapidly swung towards Leo’s silent back.  The other man was quietly changing into his soccer uniform.

“I was going to take him out to eat burgers at some hamburger joint!  It was thanks for some information he gave me!” Ravi exclaimed.

He watched as the minutest pause happened in Leo’s movements.

“So it’s not a date?” Junsu asked his dongsaeng.

“It’s not supposed to be!” Ravi exclaimed.  “What did you guys hear?  Is Ken thinking it’s a date?”

Ken barged into the locker room, shielding his eyes like he was a girl.

“I hope everyone’s decent,” he said in a slightly higher than normal voice and cringed.  “Oh, good, you guys are not all… yeah well.  Uh, Ravi… Ummm…”

Ken looked nervously at Leo and bit his lip uncertainly.

“See, Ravi, I… was… asking someone where that restaurant we had gone to that had delicious burgers but was like $20 a plate and stuff and… well, because I was checking it out and Kai was with me and we were discussing your offer and things…  And… well…” Ken sighed.  “It’s really not a date!  I was just going to take him for a ride!  Make him buy me the most expensive burger I like to eat!  I mean, anyone could come with us and yeah.  I mean, Kai was also invited, right?”

Ravi looked at Ken as if he’d sprouted horns.  “Yeah, Kai was invited, but I was thinking McDonalds or someplace like that!”

Ken blinked at him and his face transformed into a seriously pouting Ken. 

“Well… I’m not one to… ummm… was my information not worth a $20 plate burger?  With a $10 shake and garlic fries for like $10?” Ken sort of whined.

Ken stuck out his lips in a heavy pout and Ravi couldn’t help but laugh.  Ken’s affronted sort of serious face was so over the top that Ravi could only pin point that it was done in jest.

“I’ll help Ravi pay for that information if you tell me that same information,” Leo said.  “And yes, you can get your $100 meal deal including Kai’s."

Ken’s eyes lit up.  He skipped… Yes, skipped! …over to Leo, planted his hands on Leo’s cheeks and drew that reluctant head closer to Ken’s face.  Ken puckered up and Leo put his palm up at the last second before it made contact with Ken’s lips.

“I love you, hyung!  I am going to book… How many?  Ottokaji?  10 people?  Yes?  Tatta!  I’ll make reservations for two hours from now?   Yes?  You’re my most favorite hyung, you know?”

He hugged Leo and shoulder bumped Ravi and looked at him with a crazy smile and wraggled his fingers at Ravi and shimmied away.

“And Ravi?  Don’t tell Leo hyung the information given.  I’ll tell him!” he yelled when he got to the door and winked at Ravi. "A man needs to eat, you know?!"

“What if I don’t think it’s worth your $100 plate?!?!” Leo yelled, but the door had slammed shut after Ken had gone.

Ravi laughed.  He had a feeling that everyone in the house pretty much liked Leo to some extent or another.  Maybe it was just the hyungs that liked Leo to that extent.  Perhaps all of them suffered from Le Sin Set.  They all seem to be fishing and taking liberties…

“Trust me, hyung,” Ravi said.  “The information is probably something you already know, but I can’t tell you what it is.  I need help paying $100, right?  You’ll be coming along with your $50?”

“I’m not paying for you, too, Wonshik, so you better bring more than Ken’s share of $50!” Leo said as he slammed his locker shut and headed for the field.

Their soccer team let out a whoop.  And they started texting people.

“Hey, Ravi!  What’s that restaurant’s name?”

“I don’t know!  Ask Ken!”

He, too, headed towards the field.  Behind him were a group of guys looking to text information as to where dinner was.  Apparently, this was a big deal.  They wondered who else was going to be there.

*~*

The restaurant that night happened to be one of the very posh restaurant that was headed by none other than Kim Jaejoong and Park Yuchun.  It always garnered great reviews and the waiting list was two months in advance.  That is, unless you have Kim Junsu in your corner which Ken had.  Junsu had followed Ken out of the locker room and offered his services.  There was only one place that Ken would have gotten that $20 burger.  After Junsu’s careful interrogation, he knew where it was and that as luck would have it, Yuchun would be more than happy to accommodate his family and the Jungs and whoever Junsu wanted to invite.

Too bad for the rest of the soccer team.  It was the three Kims, the three Jungs and the VIXX house people with Kai.  The only one from EXO house. 

Ravi groaned.  This was not where he wanted to go eat burgers.  He’s actually okay with burgers, but his cousin’s place was… too rich… too… big… too… over the top… ugh.

Park Yuchun winked at him when he presented a plate of two sliders for Kim Ravi.  He knew Ravi hated ordering the burgers at this restaurant.  They were too much for Ravi to finish in one sitting.  And he hated looking like a pig in front of guests.  Since Park Yuchun knew about Leo, he decided making miniatures was a little better than giving him the gargantuan portions this restaurant was known for.  His chef was pouting until Yuchun said it was for Kim Jaejoong’s littlest brother.  The employees of all their enterprises knew Ravi since he was knee high and they doted on him.  The chef suddenly had brilliant ideas and was happy creating two just for Kim Wonshik.

The rest were presented with their $20 burgers made with the best beef they had, cooked just right and piled with their choice of toppings.  Ken and Kai looked at each other and smiled blissfully.  The only one who wasn’t having a good time was Hyuk.  He groaned seeing all the cheese oozing out of his burger.

Ravi whispered something to his concerned Yuchun hyung and the burger was substituted for something without the cheese.  Hyuk was unfortunately, lactose intolerant.  An ailment the Aossi acquired through his 1/8 human blood. And Hyuk was happy with the substitution.  Piles of Yam fries, garlic fries, potato wedges and spicy condiments were elegantly served throughout the table.

Leo eyed Ravi’s plate.  “Those were not on the menu,” he said.

Ravi nodded.

“Why do you have something that’s not on the menu?” Leo asked.

Yuchun sidled besides the two and answered for Ravi.

“Ravi has been, unfortunately, our test taster for our burgers since he was young.  We have always made these small versions for him, until he told us that he wanted the big kind, like the ones on your plates.  Unfortunately, he was still a small boy.  The rule of their house is that if you put it on your plate, you have to finish it.  And since he asked for the full sized version, he needed to finish it.  Well… you know what happened,” Yuchun chuckled.

“He got sick of it!” chorused six older adults plus Ken, Kai and Hyuk.

Leo gaped at Ravi.

“But you were going to take them out to a fast food restaurant,” Leo stated.

“Their burgers aren’t the same, hyung,” Ravi said.  “Believe me.  As long as they feed me small ones like this, I prefer eating their burgers.  But if they’re bigger than this, the cheap ones are fine.  They’re not as thick, or so richly flavored.”

“Besides, his are currently experimental.  If he likes it, it may be placed on the menu,” Yuchun explained.  “It’s not often he comes down anymore.”

Ravi bit down on one and immediately approved.

“The heat is just right.  What’s that sweet thing?” Ravi asked Yuchun.

Yuchun told him he’ll get the chef.

The chef was a big burly Frenchman who exuberantly lifted Ravi from his chair and proceeded to air kiss his cheeks.

“Eet ees zee djellee ov zee pepfur.  Hub ah neigh ross,” the chef said.

“Ah,” Ravi said.

“You understood him?” Leo asked.

Ken nodded.  “I speak mosquito.  He said…” and Ken copied what the chef said.

“So what is it that he said?” Leo asked.

Hongbin laughed when Ken scratched his head.

“There is no direct translation,” Ken said with all seriousness.

N had to laugh at that answer..

“There is a pepper that was at one time the hottest one of all, until they found the Ghost Chili.  It’s called the Habanero.  From Mexico.  They made a jelly using this pepper so there is heat and sweetness as well.  They used that as a sauce for this burger,” Ravi explained.   “They know I can’t stand too much heat.  They try not to kill me."

“Zee udder von ees wheat smuck moozzarella,” the chef said.

“I taste that!  But it needs something to balance out the smoky cheese,” Ravi said.  “Maybe something crispy, but cool.  Like tzaziki.  I promise I’ll taste it next time.  And the raw onion doesn’t do much for it.  And the romaine lettuce overwhelms it, Uncle.  Maybe microgreens?  One that will stand the heat of the burger and still be crisp when served?”

The chef nodded and made notes on a little pad that he had.

“Au revoir, mon bebe!” the chef said as he exited.

“You’ve practically made his day,” Yuchun grinned.  “He was wondering if he was going to serve you that smoked mozzarella or not.  He knew it was off, but he couldn’t point at what it was off by.”

Ravi munched on that last slider.  He was contemplating it and running over his head what it was that seemed…

“Ask him about some apples, green apples maybe, Yuchun hyung,” Ravi said.  “It might actually be okay with the smoked cheese.  Something with a tang.”

Yuchun nodded.

“You indulge our workers too much, dongsaeng,” Kim Jaejoong piped up.  “If you’re not careful, Pierre will come to your house and cook that burger for you over and over until you two get it right.”

Ravi groaned.  “Don’t tell him where I live,” he chuckled.

“You were raised a prince,” Leo noted.

Ravi smiled at him and said, “As were you, hyung, I’m sure."

Jung Yunho laughed.  “He got you there, dongsaeng.”

Leo glanced towards Yunho hyung.

“Don’t look at me, child.  Your volley," the man said.

“Actually,” Heechul interrupted.  “Ravi has worked for us since he was given to us.  This menu was developed using Ravi as the taste tester.  Which is why there is malt vinegar from England and Tabasco sauce on the table.  Nothing else would do, no matter how much our chefs tried to recreate these two tastes, they could not.  Ravi would object.  Also, when we have hotels designed, we always made sure that there were children’s areas that Ravi could use.  These were also designed according to Ravi’s instructions.  He has always made decisions based on aesthetics as well as the ease of use for both girls and boys.  If he was raised as a prince, it was because he deserved it.  If we were up all night, he never complained but would watch us work on whatever project we had.  He helped us build our empire.  It is only right that we indulge him.”

Junsu nodded in agreement.

“So you are Prince Ravi,” Leo stated flatly.

“Ah!!!  That’s what the girls call him at Uni!” Hyuk said.  “He’s got a fan club and everything!”

Jaejoong smirked.  Yunho frowned.

“Leo hyung also has a fan club,” Hongbin said.  “It is called Le Sin Set.”

“Le Sin Set?”

“Once you start to care for  Leo hyung, it’s game over.  There’s no way out,” Hongbin explained.

Ravi burst out laughing.

Leo looked offended.

“I see,” Ravi said.  “So that’s how it is.”

Then he cocked his head and looked at all of his housemates and asked, “Is that how it is?”

“No,” Leo said quietly.

Everyone else nodded.

Ravi laughed and asked, “So, is he Prince Leo?  Or his Majesty Leo?”

Leo blushed.

“He’s called the Angel,” Hyuk informed.

“Angel.  Huh,” Ravi peered at the man eating quietly next to him.

He noted the blush that spread over the man’s pale countenance.

Kim Jaejoong cleared his throat which meant that Ravi may be stepping over the line.

“I would have thought that as his name was Leo, he would be more regal,” Junsu muttered.  “I mean, in his nicknames.”

“He is called El Rey Leon but usually among the guys.  The girls call him Angel,” N said.  “Although most of the men don’t understand why he would be called that with the girls.”

Ravi laughed.  “I think I know why.  He’s usually nice to the girls in a quiet way.  Unfortunately, with the men, he’s competitive as heck and gives no quarters,” Ravi said.  “The women moon, the men are wary.”

“Are you?” Leo asked.

“Am I what?” Ravi asked back not sure what precisely Leo was asking.

“Wary,” Leo clarified.

Ravi covered his smile with a hand and said, “Well, yes.  Shouldn’t I be?”

The Jungs, Kai and all the rest of his housemates laughed.

Leo looked at Ravi seriously, but Ravi could see a tiny uplifting of his lips.

“Not too wary, I hope,” Leo said and immediately bent down to eat what was set before him.

The silence that quiet sentence brought to the table was astounding.  Ravi could not help but look at the quiet Leo and assess those words.

Hyuk laughed nervously and Ravi thought the laugh was a little high for Hyuk’s true voice.

Ravi gave a short laugh and said, “I’ll certainly keep that in mind, hyung.  Perhaps we can have dinner out again and make me feel more at ease.”

Leo swung his gaze at Ravi so quickly, Ravi could only take a small breath and held it while Leo scrutinized his face.

Everyone else seemed to have held their breath as well.

Leo looked down at his plate again and said, “Perhaps.”

Ravi broke the silence as he laughed.  He noted the small smirk playing on Leo’s lips.

The bait was set.  Ravi wondered when he’d be brave enough to pull the line.


	5. Fishing

There is a misconception about fishing that people do not understand. 

People think that the fisherman is the hunter and the fish the hunted.  Not so.  The fisherman is more like a courtier.  He sets out an offering and see if the true hunter, the fish wants to take his offering.  The true hunter may become the victim, but only because it chose to offer itself up.  Indeed, sometimes, the true hunter, the fish thinks it’s the one that catches the hunter, much to its detriment, of course. But there is another kind of fisherman that only likes to play with the fish. This is a game of true hunters. The fish are too fascinating... Too precious....  
  
Ravi now feels like the fisherman, the lion his preferred fish.  And pulling line often catches something other than his preferred fish.  And sometimes more comes than just the fish he wanted.  Like tonight.

He had gotten home after a grueling day with Junsu hyung and Heechul hyung.  There was this building they wanted an opinion on.  It took a long time to check the site, the dilapidated buildings, the topography, the gardens, sloping of the site, etc, that Ravi was only able to take one quick bite and that was that.  He wanted something filling. 

He saw Leo rummaging through the refrigerator and sighing. 

“I’m going out to get a bite, you want to come?” he threw out there, a bait on a casted line.

Leo immediately closed the refrigerator and walked towards him. 

“I’m coming, too!” Ken piped up.  “I’m kinda hungry, but I don’t know what I want to eat.”

“Me, too,” Hyuk joined.  “Since I don’t want to be here by myself.”

Ravi bit his lip from saying something.  He nodded and all four of them headed for the limo.  Once in the limo, Ravi called ahead to one of his favorite hangouts.  It wasn’t any of his cousins’ more famous restaurants, but it was definitely owed by the Kims.  The taste wasn’t elegant and it won’t be what these other people may be used to.  The Aossi had elegant tastes.  Ravi has eclectic tastes. 

“I warn you, guys, this place isn’t like the other places we’d usually eat at.  But the portions are huge and the food filling.  And sometimes, when I’m feeling under the weather, I’ll ask the hyung here to make me something and they’ll deliver it,” Ravi said.  

They were driven to a place that looked like the poor section of town.  It wasn’t, but the small streets did not allow the car to go any further.  Ravi opened the door and waited for the other three to join him.  

A servant dressed in the peasant clothes of a different century welcomed them, an old fashioned paper lantern held in his hand.  Ravi bowed to the servant.  The servant directed them on the path upwards.  Leo and the other two followed.  They were ushered into an old fashioned house it seemed.  There were servants lined up until they got into the living room area of the old fashioned house.  

The hostess had them sit around the table and pretty soon, the table was laden with traditional banchan dishes.  Then a wizened man brought four bowls of steaming soup with ramen and assorted seafood.  Individual bowls of rice were also presented to them.  

“If I was alone, I’d have gone to a small stall a few minutes’ walk from the campus,” Ravi said with a smile.  “But that’s not a place for you guys, I don’t think.  Old man Mun’s place is a close second.  The Aossi come here for food like you’d find in Korea’s market stalls.” 

Ken and Hyuk were already slurping at the hot noodles, the scent of gochujang permeating their senses.

“Do you always make sure that everything is according to the Aossi’s taste?” Leo asked. 

Ravi laughed.  “No, that’s not… I didn’t grow up like that.  Heechul hyung, Yuchun hyung, Geng hyung, Jaejoong hyung were all for me experimenting all across the board.  The hotels they build up depends greatly on the humans and they all have different taste buds.  It is good to be able to find something that reminds them of their past and have it available in the setting that my hyungs want to create,” Ravi explained. 

Then he laughed self-deprecatingly.

“I hope that made sense,” he said.

Leo nodded, stuffing his mouth with the ramen noodles. 

“You don’t have to eat it all at once, hyung!” Ravi laughed. 

Leo nodded, chewed and swallowed. 

“Addicting,” Leo said.  “I may have to learn to cook this.”

Ravi laughed.

“I’m sure the maids have packs of the instant kinds in the house!” Ravi said. 

“And these things are?” Leo asked looking at all the different small dishes around them. 

Ravi had taken some greens and kimchi and other things and added them to his noodles.  But he had his chopsticks in a bundle of soybean sprouts and was placing them on the rice.

“They’re… banchan… side dishes.  We’ve had these before, hyung,” Ravi said. 

“Not like this,” Ken said munching on lotus root disks. 

“What are these?” Hyuk asked.

“Mustard leaves kimchi?” Ravi said picking a leaf.

“There are ones without gochujang,” Leo pointed out. 

“That’s called water kimchi, hyung,” Ravi said.  “Usually the older generation fed their children on water kimchi.  Basically pickled veggies.”

“What if I’m allergic to pepper?” Hyuk asked.  “These dishes have a lot of peppers.”

Ravi looked at Hyuk.  “It doesn’t seem so.  You’ve eaten a lot of these things before, just not like this,” Ravi said.  “The Aossi eat lotus seeds, but not lotus roots because it’s the leftover.  They like the seed for it is the concentrated embodiment of the plant.  We also eat lotus buds and use the lotus leaf for a wrap.  The humans eat everything of the plant or animal.”

“Right,” Ken said.  “Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”

“The humans have learned to take the left overs and make them taste delicious,” Ravi said.  “And while not necessarily my taste, sometimes, I get a craving for them.  And there are other Aossi like me.  Mun ajusshi’s place here in Korea give the Aossi someplace to eat these kinds of food.  Some come for the novelty, some come because they crave it.  The humans frequent this place because it is the only one that still serves what they call ‘authentic’ palace food.  They do not know that this lavish spread was developed for the common man.”

“We have frogs, child,” the old man said to Ravi.

Ravi laughed.  “Good thing Yuchun hyung and Geng hyung are at the house.  Please send them to the Kim mansion, ajusshi,”

Ravi said.  “And please tell the cooks to send me a small pot at the VIXX house in Uni.  Better yet, I’ll make an appointment to go to the mansion instead.”

The old man gave him a toothless laugh, nodded and bowed.

“Frogs?” Leo asked.

“Yes.”

“For what?  Stuffed Frog legs?”

Ravi laughed.  “These are green frogs, hyung,” he explained.  “Yes for that, but not this time.  It’s for a recipe that Yuchun hyung found in the Philippine Islands.  Tastes like chicken.  Not of any of the hot hotels or restaurants though.  Since they are common people food.”

The three enjoyed their food at this restaurant and vowed to keep it in their roster.  

~*~

The next time that Ravi cast another baited line had him, N, Hongbin and Leo going out.  Hyuk and Ken were on another schedule of their own. 

Ravi took them to a small eatery that specialized in shaved ice. 

“It’s just like the one in that hotel,” N said.

Hongbin just gobbled it up.  His tastes were eclectic as well. 

“We could have gone to the hotel instead of here,” N said, eyeing the people around.  They were office workers and other people. 

Ravi laughed.  He wasn’t paying attention to his table mates.  He was playing peek a boo with the child on the table next to theirs.  The mother was harassed with her other child so this baby girl was left alone in her high chair.  When the children and their mother left, Ravi sighed.  Hongbin noted it.

“Is this a place for us to go?” N asked.

“You’re here, hyung, just… enjoy the moment,” Ravi said.  “People watch.  It’s very interesting.”

“Do you do this often?” N asked.

“Yes,” Ravi said.  “Especially in the US.  Since it’s interesting.  You know who the Aossi are and you know who the humans are, but sometimes, in the US especially, there is a blending of both and they’re just regular people doing regular things, these Aossi and humans.  Here, the Aossi are all too… beautiful.  You’re all so eye catching you become famous.  And we’ve got photographers now.”

“Which was why we don’t eat anywhere except the hotels where security is tight,” N pointed out.

Ravi looked down.  “I’ll make a point of preparing for it next time,” he said quietly. 

“I don’t mind coming with you on your adventures,” Leo said.  “Alone.  So it’s not conspicuous.”

Ravi looked at Leo and regarded him for the longest time.

“You like to eat common people food,” Leo said.  “I understand also that you like to eat among them because they’re interesting.”

Ravi smiled.

“So, we don’t have to take them next time.  Just you and me can go,” Leo said.

“I can do that, too,” N said. “Ouch!  Dammit, Hongbin!”

Hongbin looked at Ravi with innocent eyes despite N glaring daggers at him.

“Not a problem with me.  Take Leo,” Hongbin smiled at Ravi.  “He’s the adventurous sort.”

“Leo is?” N asked.  “He’s so set in his ways and stubborn, what the hell are you saying?”

This time, the table shook as N was kicked from the person sitting directly in front of him.  Leo wasn’t subtle about it either. 

N glared at Leo.  “What is this?  Kick N day?”

Ravi laughed.  “I’m guessing that we better go home before N hyung gets kicked some more,” Ravi said gurgling with laughter. 

“You laugh so easily,” Leo said to Ravi.

“Hmmm?  Leo hyung, you should learn to laugh easily,” Ravi countered with a smile.  “But either way, I like how you are.”

He placed an arm around Leo’s shoulder as they all left the place.  Cameras started to flash.  Hongbin and N were in the lead, N arguing with Hongbin. 

Ravi pulled his snapback lower over his eyes and smiled.  Leo hasn’t yet shrugged his arm off.  A good sign.

The internet erupted with pictures of Leo smiling while being led to their car by Ravi.  Their University had squealing girls following them both. 

“This will make it more difficult,” Ravi muttered. 

Hongbin laughed at his words.  “It was already difficult to begin with.  Maybe you should dye your hair or something,” Hongbin suggested.

“Like what?  Blond? You think they won’t notice?”

“It’s like we’re stars, like their favorite idols or something,” Ken muttered.  “Well, you, Ravi are a model for your cousins.”

Hyuk nodded. 

“Maybe we should all form a dancing singing group,” N suggested.  “Might as well, with all the attention we’re getting.”

Ravi laughed.  “Hyung, I can sing, but have you heard my voice?  It’s more… besides, I like rapping, spitting rhyme.  That’s what I was pursuing in LA to break into the hip-hop genre.”

“Do it here, with us.  Leo has a great voice,” N said. 

Ravi looked at Leo and said with a little exasperation, “Is there nothing you can’t do, hyung?”

Leo looked at him and Hyuk almost choked on his suppressed laughter. 

“What?” Ravi asked.

“Nothing,” Leo said.  “There are plenty I can’t do.  But that’s not for you to know yet.  And Hyuk, prepare to die.”

Hyuk shut his mouth and excused himself. 

“Yunho hyung has a dance studio,” Leo said.  “If we want we can use it.”

“Jaejoong and Junsu hyung has a music studio we can use,” Ravi said.

“Don’t you have an entertainment company?” Ken asked Ravi.

Ravi blushed.  “Uh, yeah.  But it’s based in LA.  And they recruit hip hop artistes,” Ravi answered. 

“I see,” Leo said.  “I know that your parents had an entertainment company, Kim Wonshik.”

Ravi looked at Leo and said, “That’s being held by my cousins right now, hyung.  Until I’m ready to take it over, I can’t touch it.  If we want to be held under their label, we’d have to audition just like other people and be under their training.”

“Your LA company, how does it run without you?” Leo asked.

Ravi laughed and said, “I hired great people to look at it for me while I’m not there.  Besides video conferencing are much better nowadays.”

   
~*~

Hongbin took the hint the next time Ravi invited.

“No, N hyung, I need you to help me with this bit,” Hongbin said.  “Otherwise, I might fail this class.”

Ravi took the chance and left with Leo next to him.  They wore hoodies because now, they were becoming a national sensation.  VIXX as a group under the CHIC entertainment company was such a cool phenomenon.  Junsu hyung wanted them to be concept idols.  Jaejoong hyung wanted them to be the best singing idols.  Junsu hyung wanted them to be really good at dancing.  And Yuchun hyung just wanted them to have fun and coached them in acting.  However, Heechul hyung wanted them to win awards and be the best skin, best visual, best dressed idols out there.

Ravi and Leo had to don fleece hoodies with voluminous hoods.  Just because Ravi invited for an ice cream cone.  Leo had become blond and Ravi had blue tints in his blond hair now.  

“My cousins are having too much fun with our group now,” Ravi told Leo as they walked slowly back from the three miles far ice cream shop that Ravi liked.  The old couple knew Wonshik since he was young so they were happy to keep their identity secret. 

“I’m not very good at talking,” Leo said.  “It’s a burden to have me there, right?”

Ravi laughed.  “I don’t think that Jaejoong hyung would fight so hard to keep you, hyung, if he didn’t think you benefit the group.  My cousins are ruthless.  Family ties aren’t worth crap if I’m a product.”

Leo was bothered by the cameras.  He didn’t like all the cameras trained at them, but he didn’t want to abandon what N had started either.  Not when the whole Kim and Jung families were in on the act.  Not only that, but all six boys’ families were also monitoring their popularity.  Being popular now meant that the six would have lucrative allies in the future.  The Aossi were all about allies and alliances.  Even Shim Changmin came to lend support by pointing out where they would be lacking. 

“My brothers as well,” Leo nodded. 

It was true.  Jung Yunho trained them in dance like nobody’s business, and Jung Yonghwa while totally affable was a devil when coaching them in voice.  Joonyoung may have been  cool as a hyung, but when monitoring their clothes when stepping out and their mannerisms in variety shows he was Satan.  These three plus the five that Ravi had at his back was like having the world watching them with hawk like eyes.  Of course, because of that, they were also protected from a lot of things that ordinary idols had to go through.  The Aossi were nothing if not refined.  But hunters are hunters and when theirs are at stake, hunters can tear down whole worlds. 

This walk was very rare nowadays, but Ravi had to try.  He was getting frustrated with having some alone time to get to know Leo.  And whenever he was alone with him, Leo seemed to relax.  

Because their lives were now broadcast to the humans as well as Aossi elite, their lives were in a fishbowl.  Nonetheless, because of Ravi’s connections on the street, the group and he enjoyed quiet walks and late night caffeine runs.  Some opened only because Ravi knew he needed some coffee. 

“This is very rare,” Leo said.  “You and I going out alone like this.  Usually, even on our late night coffee runs, we would have someone with us.”

“Yes, I hope you’ll allow me other times like this,” Ravi said.

“Are you asking me on a date, Kim Ravi?” Leo turned feral eyes at him.

Ravi colored, but bravely pressed on, “Well… sure, hyung.  A date is good, just you and me.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Leo said and again walked on looking ahead. 

Ravi didn’t know if it was a victory for him or not.  This was indeed fishing.  He felt a nibble.  He didn’t think it was a bite.  It wasn’t enough to pull line.


	6. Keeping Interest

N became really clingy after that ice cream run.  He wanted Leo’s attention all the time which annoyed Leo to no end.  Ravi noticed that Hongbin would often pull Leo in another direction when Leader Cha would be in the vicinity.  Ravi’s room became a favorite place for Hongbin to shove Leo into. 

  
This day, Leo was shoved forcefully into Ravi’s room that he lost his balance.   Ravi actually caught Leo before he fell to the floor. 

 Leo immediately moved towards the closed door and put an ear to it.  Ravi did the same.

 “What the hell, Art?!?” Leader Cha was yelling.  “When the hell did you become so close to Leo?  You can’t have Leo.  He’s not for you.”

“Not for you, either,” Hongbin replied.

“That’s not for you to decide,” N said.

“It isn’t?  Hmmm.  I don’t think it’s for you to decide who Leo hyung is supposed to be with either,” Hongbin said.  “Besides, if Leo hyung chooses me, what would it matter to you?”

“You can’t, Hongbin.  Don’t pursue Leo.  He’s…mine,” N said.

Leo gritted his teeth. 

Hongbin sighed.  “I’ll challenge you for it.  Your spot besides Leo hyung should be mine.  I bet you, he’ll allow it,” Hongbin bit out.  “If only to get away from you.”

“Leo doesn’t hate me,” N said dejectedly.  “He’d never hurt me like that.  Not unless… But not over you, Binnie.”

Hongbin sighed again.  “What do you want to bet, Leader Cha? That Leo will allow me closer than he’s allowed you?”

“What do you want?”

“For one month, you’ll follow me around like you do Leo hyung.  And you think of nothing else except me for that one month,” Hongbin challenged.

There was silence and Ravi wanted to bust open the door.

“You have three days to accomplish it,” N said. 

“Fine with me.  How far is far, N hyung?” Hongbin asked. 

“He allows you to sleep over in his room.  No one has ever been allowed there, not even me, his best friend,” N said.  “Not even platonically.”

Hongbin laughed.  “Okay.  Within 3 days, right?”

“Yeah,” N said.  “You won’t get there, I promise you.”

“Don’t stand in the way, hyung.  Leo hyung loves me to pieces, that much I can bet on.” 

Leo and Ravi heard N dragging himself away and the inevitable slam of N’s bedroom door. 

A soft knock was heard before Hongbin came in.

“You heard?” Hongbin asked.

Leo nodded, Ravi nodded. 

“So, will you help me?” Hongbin asked with a smile.

Leo nodded. 

Ravi looked at Leo shocked.

“But… but… that’s…”

“As long as Ravi goes in before N notices,” Leo said.  “I don’t think your virtue will be… challenged…if we have a witness that I didn’t tie you up and had my way with you, yes?”

Hongbin looked at Leo and asked, “You think this will create some kind of friction?”

“N is… a devil… with a devil’s brain… when he’s really thinking… The thing is… you won’t know about it until it hits him.  And by then… you’ll be too late to catch the tail end of the dragon,” Leo explained.  “Do you understand?”

“I’m going to regret going into your room because N will use it as a reason to push me away?” Hongbin asked.

Leo sighed.  “Ah.  He cannot push you away.  But he can ‘punish’ you for even daring to go to my room.  So, let me make it easy for you.  Ravi, go to my room tomorrow before any of us gets here.  I will need to 'invite' my friend Hongbin.  I might as well catch two birds and one stone.”

“Uh, hyung?  Isn’t it two birds WITH one stone?” Ravi asked.

“Do you doubt my prowess, Kim Wonshik?” Leo asked.  “Don’t.”

Hongbin and Ravi were left alone in the wake of Leo leaving the room. 

Ravi wondered what tomorrow will bring. But something nagged at him about Hongbin. 

“What’s with you and the Leader?” Ravi asked.

Hongbin gave Ravi his dimpled smile, patted his cheeks and said, “I’ll tell you all… Maybe tomorrow.”  

Hongbin laughed as he left Ravi’s room.

   
~*~  
Leo’s room was heavily guarded, but Ravi was given permission to enter which surprised him.  The room was neat and nicely appointed.  The bed covers were decidedly black.  With the contrast of white pillows, it looked… modern chic.  Something that Jaejoong hyung would have done, Ravi decided.  Probably Jung Joonyoung’s influence, though it would take a lot for Joonyoung to force Leo to do something Leo didn’t want to do.  Ravi questioned the moves he has been forced to make.  And forced is a strong word, but somehow it fitted with the way he felt about how things were going.  He’s wondering if Changmin hyung’s strategy book was even the playbook he should be using.  He felt this game was stacked in the first place.  Something about the way things have been worked out seems a bit… planned… like a chess master making one move at  a time… a hunter stalking his prey. 

He sat down on the soft bed and looked at the lighted cabinet in front of him.  Medals for Taekwondo, swimming, soccer… a piece of paper folded into a heart, a paper with a French saying… a bottle of cologne he remembered liking long ago… a small silver necklace of a bow and arrow… a picture of all six of them… a faded photograph that looked familiar… a red feather…

Ravi went back to the paper with French in it.

“Je suis RAVI de vous noir.  Vous-etes RAVIssante.”

“It means, ‘I am delighted to see you.  You are beautiful,’” Leo said quietly. 

He switched the light off in the case with a flick of his finger.  The contents of the case were no longer visible.  The glass had become dark. 

Ravi blushed.  “Ummm… sorry.  I thought I saw my name… well… th..the n..name you gave me,” Ravi stammered.

Leo nodded.  “Sit, be comfortable.  You can sit on the bed. Or wherever,” Leo said. 

He opened panels that Ravi thought were the walls.  Behind the panels were state of the art Smart TV.   Leo indicated the desk next to his bed where the remotes lay nicely with a wireless keyboard and wireless game controllers all on chargers.  Ravi counted four game controllers. 

“N doesn’t know but the dongsaengs sneak in here.  The guards allow them in whenever N isn’t around,” Leo explained.  “Sometimes they catch me in here.  And we play some games.  I don’t allow it to be a habit.  But sometimes, they, too, like to escape from N’s… intense… affections.  However, none of them has ever been here.  None except tonight, Hongbin will be.  And you, but they don’t know that.”

Ravi nodded.  Obviously, this was a secret. 

The maid brought in 2 trays of food. 

“For you, for now,” Leo said.  “I will have them bring something more.  When it is time.”

Silence sat between them two.  Ravi felt that it wasn’t the time to open his mouth to ask anything .  And the hours stretched just like that. 

The noise of the other four reached Leo’s ears. 

“They’re home,” he sighed.  “I will call my dongsaengi.”

Ravi wanted to see the play that would be played out, but he decided that he wasn’t called.  Oh, but he was so curious.  The TV switched on as if by itself and suddenly Ravi was witnessing the play in the living room. 

 

Leo embraced Hongbin from behind and Ravi wanted to walk out unable to witness that kind of display, except he noted that the arms were more like caging Hongbin around the upper chest. 

“Hongbin-ah, I need you,” Leo said, laying his head on Hongbin’s shoulder.  “Come to my room?”

Hyuk and Ken almost choked on their swallow of juice.

N clenched his jaw.

“Sure, hyung,  I did say that I’m available whenever you needed me.  Need me to stay?” Hongbin grinned evilly. 

N gritted his teeth.

Leo nodded and steered Hongbin towards the room.

Hyuk and Ken immediately walked very fast to their room leaving N to pout alone and huff angrily.

Hongbin and Leo entered Leo’s room and slammed the door none too gently.  Leo poked his head out again and asked for food and drink to be brought to his room asking for all the things that Hongbin liked to eat and drink.  The guard nodded and passed on the information to a maid.  The maid nodded.  Leo poked his head out again and told the guard that he’d prefer not to be disturbed until late tomorrow morning.  The guards nodded.

Ravi kept watching the screen at N whose mouth was about to crack.  The banana milk container had been crushed under his hands, its contents spilling over N's tightly clenched fist.

“He’s angry,” Ravi whispered. 

Leo’s phone, Ravi’s phone and Hongbin’s phone started to buzz like crazy. 

Leo went to his phone and started typing. 

“Tell those two that if they don’t want their privileges revoked to say nothing.  And tell them that Ravi is out for the day.  He may come in tomorrow or maybe never,” Leo whispered towards Hongbin. 

“They told me not to come home,” Ravi whispered back.  “They said that they expect the nuclear war or something.  That it would be safer to be wherever I was at the moment.”

“Do you want them to be around to support Leader Cha?” Leo asked Hongbin.

Hongbin shook his head negatively.  “I’m texting them to stay with their family for the next three days.  Hyuk doesn’t want to go.  And Ken says he wants to watch the fireworks.  I might have to kill them both.”

“Tell them not to leave their rooms and to tell their guards they are not to be disturbed,” Leo whispered urgently. 

“They said they already did that.  But they said that the living room is being monitored as well as the hall and that they’ve warned Ravi not to come to the house, so whatever we’re doing, it will be kept amongst us,” Hongbin said.  “And Hyuk said to tell you, ‘Fighting, Leo hyung.  Go hunting.’  Ken asked when did I get so dratted close to you?”

“I will kill Hyuk.  And I will have to wrestle Ken to the ground one of these days and sit on him just so he knows how I feel,” Leo said without changing his expression except for the twinkle in his eye and a small uplifting of his lips. 

Hongbin laughed loudly.  A soft knock sounded on the door and a maid asked for entry.

Leo told Ravi to stand behind the door and told Hongbin to lounge on the yet pristine bed.  Leo walked up to Bin and mussed up his hair and Bin bit his lips and laughed.  Then Leo pinched Bin’s cheeks which made Bin blush all the more, the fiery pink washing over his entire face.  Ravi wanted to laugh so badly he bit his knuckles. 

Leo slowly opened the door and left it open for the maids to enter and N saw Hongbin with his hands on his cheeks and smiling widely as he lay propped up on Leo’s bed. 

“Lee Hongbin!  I won’t forgive you!” N yelled as he made his way to his own bedroom and slammed it shut.

Leo shut the door quietly after the maids were gone. 

He looked at Hongbin and asked, “Is it enough?”

“No, not even,” Hongbin said.  “Tomorrow, Ravi will leave first, but before you leave, hyung, can I set the stage?”

“How exactly do you plan on doing this?”

“I’ll be naked in your bed.  It will be mussed up like crazy from the three of us sleeping in it, I’m guessing.  Leave me a flower and a note.  And tell the guards that when N walks by to open the doors to ‘wake’ me,” Hongbin said.

“We have to go that far?”

“N doesn’t realize that I’m the one he needs, not you,” Hongbin said.  “I should be the one he runs after, not you.  It’s LeSinSet syndrome, you know?”

“So you like N hyung?” Ravi asked quietly.  Ambient music was turned on loudly, but not too loud so they can speak in quiet tones and be heard. 

“N has been telling everyone that Leo hyung is his, his, his.  Really, though, N just feels responsible for Leo hyung,” Hongbin said. 

“Why?” Ravi asked.

“It’s an old story.  When we were young, N hyung did not realize that he was the one that was different among the Aossi.  The other kids would put N hyung down because he wasn’t fair, but Leo hyung wouldn’t.  He said that he liked N hyung’s darkness because Leo hyung also was dark inside.  Leo hyung had taken to wearing mostly black.  It made the others bully Leo hyung.  Leo hyung ended up fighting and winning and fighting.  Ken hyung also ended up fighting on Leo hyung’s side.  N feels that responsibility.  Leo hyung was labeled a ferocious lion from that time to now.  No one but no one messes with one of Leo hyung’s people.  So, N feels responsibility for the way that Leo is portrayed.”

“But Leo hyung would have found a different cause to fight for if it wasn’t N hyung,” Ravi said.  “That’s the temperament of hunters of the Aossi.”

“N hyung doesn’t know that.  Even if he knew that, he still feels responsible.  Leo hyung failed his middle school because he was in one scrape after another.  Remedial classes were taken.  He graduated with honors because even so, his test scores were at the top 10.  But… still,” Hongbin said. 

“What did his brothers say?” Ravi asked.

“They, too, are hunters,” Leo said. 

Ravi gave a short bark of laughter.  He nodded.  He understood all too well.  His family, too, were all hunters.  Their preferred… partners…were also hunters, except  maybe for Yuchun hyung.  He was more a defender than a true hunter.  He was so… lackadaisical.  Junsu hyung was the more aggressive hunter.

“Someone also said something to N hyung.  I think that’s when N hyung decided to become stronger and Leo hyung stopped trying to explain anything.  N hyung became a more aggressive hyung.  He clawed his way to the top.  He became class president.  From that time on, N hyung never backed down from a fight shaming anyone who said something Leo hyung objected to.  Leo hyung was never messed with again,” Hongbin explained. 

“I had no choice but to let him fight his own battles.  After all, hunters can also be bred,” Leo said.  He pointed to the trays. 

“Let’s eat.”

   
~*~

The morning had Leo and Hongbin shaking Ravi awake.  Ravi woke with a start. 

“We need to leave now, Ravi,” Leo said quietly.  “I know that it’s still early.  I’ll bring you to the Kim mansion if you like or take you to a hotel to change.  I promise your clothes are in my car.”

Ravi nodded and pulled on his hoodie. 

“Good luck,” Leo told Hongbin.  He handed Hongbin the letter and Ravi read “Vous-etes Beau a Ravir.” 

‘You are ravishingly beautiful,’ the translation would be. 

Hongbin grinned.  He took off his clothes and threw them around the floor and slipped into the extremely messy bed.  He placed the note on the floor with the rose on top of it and hung his hand as if he was touching it or he WILL touch it.

Ravi shook his head.  Such elaborate displays.

“What about you guys?” Hongbin asked.

“Do you want me to stay away?” Leo asked.

“Nope,” Hongbin said.  “Wait.  Come home together.  Actually, could you act as if you’re getting closer to Ravi for me?”

Leo raised his eyebrows at Hongbin.

Ravi wanted to laugh.  “I’ll act as if I’m aggressively pursuing Leo hyung, how’s that?  Does it fit better?” he asked because Leo hyung looked like he wanted to pound the naked Hongbin’s head into the wall.

Leo narrowed his eyes at Ravi.  Then he sighed.  “Since it can’t be helped, to have a blind man see,” he said as he walked out the door quietly and whispered instructions to the guards who nodded. 

The two slipped out as quietly as possible.  Ravi was astonished to find both Hyuk and Ken in the limo already.

No one said a word as Ravi and Leo both climbed into the limo.  When they were out of the house and driving off, Hyuk laughed loudly.

“So you were trapped in Leo hyung’s room,” Hyuk said.  “I wondered what Leo hyung’s strategy was going to be.”

Ken laughed and said, “I should have thought of that!”

“But what is Hongbin hyung doing now?” Hyuk asked.

“He’s stripped naked in my bed,” Leo said.  “I need those sheets disinfected.”

“With a note that says he’s ravishingly beautiful and a red rose at his naked fingertips,” Ravi supplied.

“Well, Hongbin IS an artwork,” Hyuk said.

“And as pretty as a red rose,” Ken said.

“I so want to be a fly on the wall!” Hyuk said. 

“Not to worry.  Changmin hyung installed a camera in the hallway directly in front of my room,” Leo said. 

Ravi’s jaw dropped.  Hyuk just laughed. 

“Feed?”

Leo pressed a button and behind Ravi against the driver’s side a small LCD screen popped up.

Ravi moved to sit next to Leo on the opposite side.

The scene captured was two sides.  One camera pointed towards Leo’s door and the other camera pointed to the hall.  Ravi whistled.  He didn’t realize that for all its innocuous looks, VIXX house was a fortress.  No wonder Heechul hyung liked VIXX house more than EXO or even B1A4 or BTOB houses. 

 

N approached the hallway and immediately, one of the guards looked at his watch and opened the door to ‘wake’ Hongbin.  N saw the scene in front of him.  The cameras captured no words, but they didn’t have to. 

“My god, that’s like a movie!” Ken exclaimed. 

“A silent one,” Hyuk said.

Leo and Ravi only intently looked.  N clenched his fists.  Hongbin ‘discovered’ the letter at his fingertips and ignored the glaring, fuming Leader Cha.  Hongbinnie smiled evilly Ravi thought as Hongbin 'finally' saw N at the doorway while kissing the blood red rose.

Hongbin was ‘surprised’ and immediately scrambled to ‘look’ for his clothes and leave the room still clutching the rose and note.  Once Hongbin was  out of Leo's room, N snatched the note, read it and proceeded to tear it into pieces.

“I worked so hard on that note,” Leo noted. 

N threw the pieces at Hongbin’s smiling face and was about to walk away briskly.  But Hongbin said something that made N stop.  N's jaw clenched, his fists balled by his side.  Hongbin held out his hand towards N.  N slapped it away.  He walked back and walked towards Hongbin’s bedroom door and slammed it shut. 

Hongbin’s shoulders shook with laughter.  He looked up to the cameras he knew was there and made an OK sign. 

Leo grinned and turned off the screen.

“Well, his objective was effectively acquired,” Leo said.

“But the elaborateness is not going to be forgotten, hyung.  N hyung keeps forgetting he’s dealing with a hunter.  Even though Hongbin is a silent hunter, he’s stealthy but effective,” Ken observed. 

“Even if Hongbin hyung wasn’t a hunter, N hyung should have remembered that Hongbin hyung is one of the Aossi,” Hyuk said.  “Although…  Ooooh!!!”

Hyuk laughed loudly.  “Ravi hyung will be Hongbin hyung’s  and your ace, right, hyung?” Hyuk asked.  “That’s why he was with you this morning?”

Leo nodded. 

“Where shall I see you off to, dongsaeng?” Leo asked Ravi.

“Hotel please, I’d rather not explain any of this to my hyungs at the moment,” Ravi said.

“Then the hotel is not a good place,” Leo said. "Yunho hyung owns it."

“Let’s go to the cabin,” Ken said.  “It should be covered enough that four people won’t be counted going in or out.”

Leo nodded and opened the driver partition.  He gave the address.  The driver nodded.

 

The cabin wasn’t really a cabin.  It was a log cabin type house, but was more like a lodge than anything else.  It wasn’t close to Seoul either.  It was certainly pretty, by a lake and trees.  Leo handed Ravi an overnight bag.  Ravi grinned.  It must be his clothes. 

“I’ve made excuses for the four of us,” Hyuk said.  “We need to go to the airport in two hours and go to Jeju.  There is a photoshoot for my family’s magazine spread.  Do you comply?”

Leo nodded. 

Ravi nodded and disappeared into the bathroom to quickly shower and change. 

“Only the four of you?” the speaker phone asked.  It was N’s voice.

“Well, hyung, the photographer asked for only four of us,” Hyuk said.  “So I guess it’s only the four of us.”

“Why wasn’t I told?  Everyone knows that I am the leader of this team, that all of your schedules are made by me!”

“I don’t know!” Hyuk said.  “I’ll ask my family!  But Leo hyung and Ravi hyung knew about it.  Their family had told them!  And Ken hyung also knew about it.”

“Yeeeaaaahhh!!!” Ken said in a sing song voice.  “Yeah, yeah, yeah…”

“Let me speak to Leo!” N demanded.  Leo narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

“Now is not a good time, hyung,” Hyuk said.  “And besides, you should call him on his phone.  The last time you demanded like this, Ken hyung’s phone was sacrificed.  Remember?  I happen to like this one, so…”

“What is he doing?”

“He’s…” Hyuk was at a loss for words as Leo glared at him.

Ravi snatched the phone from Hyuk and said quietly, “He’s sleeping, hyung, and we don’t want to wake a sleeping Jung Leo.  It seems he’s very tired.  Did you do something to him?  I swear if I didn’t know better, he must have been bedroom dancing all night long.  He seems to be hella…”

The phone on the other end seemed to have been thrown or slammed down.

Hyuk laughed with Ken following close behind. 

“I’m hoping that’s not Hongbin’s phone,” Leo said quietly.  “Those are incendiary words, Kim Wonshik.”

“He would have kept bugging Hyuk to talk to you,” Ravi answered. 

Leo nodded. 

“If you are ready.  Let’s head towards the airport,” Leo said. 

A private jet flew them to Jeju where the impromptu, but always welcomed photoshoot took place.  They were there until past dinner time. 

 

Hongbin and N waited for them to come in though it was already late at night.  It seemed as if N was the one waiting and Hongbin just indulged N’s predilections.

Just as N was looking at them, Ravi draped himself over Leo’s shoulders and pouted. 

“Carry me to my room, hyung.  I’m so tired!” he whined. 

Leo stiffened and shrugged his shoulders.  Then he turned to catch Ravi.  He scooped the man up and gently lowered him back. 

“Your room’s too far away,” Leo said quietly. 

“But I’m tired, hyung, please?” Ravi pleaded.  “Look after me more.  I’m the last one here.  Please?”

“I can…” Hongbin offered and was immediately speared a look from Leo. 

“Piggy back?” Leo asked.

“’Kay,” Ravi said.

Leo sighed.  Leo stooped a little and caught Ravi’s legs. Ravi wrapped his arms around the man’s torso and flopped his head on Leo’s neck. 

“Open the door, Hyuk, and bring in his luggage, Ken.  Then seek your beds.  I’m tired,” Leo said. 

The other two scrambled to move.  Leo had given them an out and they were taking it.  They didn’t want to give Leader Cha any reason to question them. 

Hyuk opened the door, N was looking as Leo gently deposited the ‘sleepy’ Ravi and tenderly tucked the other in.  Before Leo sought his room, he took Hyuk and Ken out with him.  He shoved Hyuk into his room and shoved Ken into his.  Then he turned and bowed to N and Hongbin before entering his room and slamming the door shut. 

The bodyguards closing in as soon at the door closed winced at the slamming of the door.

Ravi smiled.  He wondered if Leo would have kissed him goodnight had there been no audience.  The man seemed to have hesitated just a little.  He slept peacefully.

 

The next morning, Ravi took his shower and was pulling on his shirt when a soft knock was heard from outside.  Ravi looked through the peephole and saw Leo waiting.

He pulled the door open, with the button down shirt unbuttoned casually draped over his abs.  Leo looked at him and seemed frozen.  Then he pulled the ends of the shirt together and started to button the shirt up. 

“Breakfast is ready,” Leo said.  “Be quick if you want a ride up to the Kim house.  Your cousin Jaejoong told my Yunho hyung to get you up there after breakfast.  I will fetch Yunho hyung.”

“Okay,” Ravi said. 

Leo left trailing after Hongbin who was steering a shocked N towards the kitchen.  Ravi watched as Leo placed an arm casually over Hongbin’s and N’s shoulders. 

“It’s a good day, my delightful friends, yes?” Leo said with a small smirk playing over his lips. 

Hongbin laughed. 

“Hmmm.  You are truly a beautiful creature, Hongbin.  I was right in calling you ‘Our Artwork.’  Don’t you think so, Hakyeon-ah?” Leo said.

N huffed.  He placed his arms around Leo’s waist.  Leo casually side stepped away from the casual touch and stepped in front of them and casually placed Hongbin’s arm around N’s shoulder.  N’s arm at Leo’s waist was now around Hongbin. 

“Need coffee,” Leo said walking ahead. 

Ravi passed the stunned N who was still holding onto Hongbin. 

“What’s for breakfast?” Ravi asked which jolted N from his stupor. 

“The usual, I would assume,” N said.  He walked on with Hongbin’s arm still around his shoulder even if N’s hand around his waist was gone.

Ravi was quick to grab the seat next to Leo and Hongbin took the other side of Leo.  N had no choice but to sit next to Ravi.

Hongbin looked at N and said, “Some people I do business with seem to forget that a deal was struck.  They are reneging.  What should I do, hyung?”

Leo quietly said, “Extend the terms and raise the interests.”

Hongbin grinned and Ravi felt N stiffen.

“Two months it is then,” Hongbin said.  “I will raise the interests for every infraction I find when my client seems about to break our contract.”

“Penalty should also be paid, dongsaengi, for your good faith,” Leo said. 

Hongbin laughed and Ravi watched N’s fists ball up tighter.

“True.  I must think of a fitting Penalty,” Hongbin said.

Leo stood up and thanked the maid that handed him a traveler’s mug filled with coffee. 

“Whenever you are ready, Ravi,” Leo said. 

“Hey, what the hell was that?” N asked.  “Why were you buttoning up Ravi’s shirt this morning?”

Leo looked at N.  “He looked cold,” he answered and purposely marched away.

Ravi noted the tiny smirk that curved up the corner of Leo’s face. 

Hyuk and Ken were again in the limousine that Leo was to take to the Kim mansion. 

“Do you guys always catch a ride with Leo hyung?” Ravi asked.

“No,” Hyuk answered.  “But we weren’t going to be left behind to be interrogated by Leader Cha.”

“Left him something else to puzzle over,” Leo said. 

“We saw!” Ken said.

“That’s why we wanted to escape!” Hyuk said. 

“So, breakfast, please, hyung?” Ken asked in a cute aegyo voice.

Leo nodded. 

They ended up in a Jung hotel restaurant that knew immediately upon seeing Leo, Ken, Hyuk and Ravi to set out a table in a secluded area.  The coffee was served right away.  Leo stopped them from pouring milk into Hyuk’s coffee with a motion of his hand and a shake of his head.  The maître d’ came immediately to whisper something to the staff.  The young woman blushed and bowed towards Leo.  Leo nodded.  The maître d’ bowed as well.

“She’s new, I apologize,” the maître d’ explained.

Leo nodded and sipped at his cappuccino. 

He made an okay sign and smiled briefly at the maître d’.  The staff sighed. 

“Hyung isn’t scary,” Hyuk frowned into his food.  “I don’t understand…”

“Changmin hyung is,” Leo said.

“Ah, that I understand,” Hyuk said. 

“I need to smile just a little and say okay otherwise they’ll be a wreck,” Leo explained.  “They think I’ll send Changmin hyung in if not.  Yunho hyung unfortunately did that.”

“Yoh, young ones,” Jung Joonyoung greeted as another chair was hastily prepared.

Leo raised his cup at the elder one. 

“Well, if you had told us you were coming to breakfast, we would have prepared a better room,” Jung Yunho said as he and Kim Jaejoong strode in.

Ravi surmised that someone called them about the change of venue. 

“Good morning, lovely sinful Wonshikie,” Kim Jaejoong greeted his dongsaeng and hugged him and smelled his hair and planted a kiss on both his cheeks from behind.

Ravi took the affection easily, used to it from the many years it had been lavished on him.

”I expect that you didn’t slobber all over his cheeks,” Heechul called as he strode in as well.  He also gave Ravi double cheek kisses. 

“Is Junsu hyung coming, too?”  Ravi asked.

“Yes, but I’m not putting my lips where they did,” Junsu said, spinning the boy around and kissing his forehead and planting  another on his nose.

“I swear, it’s still a bit weird that I’m already an adult and you guys keep insisting on doing this,” Ravi said.

“Shikie, love, you signed on the dotted line that said for as long as you live and we live, you will subject yourself to our brand of affections,” Heechul said. 

Ravi sighed.  “I was like five, hyung,” he said.

“You renewed that when you were 16,” Junsu said.

“I did?” Ravi asked.

“Something signed in blood, lovely boy, is forever,” Jaejoong said.  “But just in case, now that he’s 21, Junsu, have the lawyers draw up the same thing again.”

“My word isnt’ good enough?”

“No, not if you’re thinking of hooking up a fish or something,” Jaejoong said.  “We need… proof… that you’ll forever be our little boy.”

Ravi only laughed. 

“Where is Yuchun and Geng hyung?” Ravi asked.

“Your Yuchun hyung is still sleeping,” Junsu said.  “I need to be in Japan in six hours.  I will need to leave in two hours.  I need breakfast.”

“Ah,” Ravi said. 

“And Geng had to leave for China late last night,” Heechul said.  “I should meet up with him in Hong Kong in three days.”

Ravi nodded. 

Jung Yonghwa was the last to make his entrance. 

“Ah, nice to see the family together,” he smiled affably.  “Well, your side isn’t complete.”

“And, so where am I to take you guys to?” he asked the four.  “I heard that the Han family magazine had a shoot in Jeju yesterday.  They kidnapped by beautiful brother, I heard and that Kim Ravi was a willing accomplice.”

Ravi almost choked on his toast.  Leo dutifully pounded his back for him.

“I left willingly,” Leo said.

“I also heard something that our Taekwoonie was seen dallying with one Lee Hongbinnie?” Yonghwa asked. 

“Not everything is as it looks, hyung,” Leo said calmly.  “Sometimes, one can catch two birds and one stone.”

Leo sipped his coffee again. 

“And if I find bugs or cameras inside my room,” Leo growled, “ I will come after you, hyung.”

Yonghwa put his hands up and said, “I do not go where angels fear to tread and your domain, dongsaengi, I think they absolutely fear.”

“I do not know what you’re talking about, hyung,” Leo said.  “I’m an absolute angel.”

Yonghwa burst out laughing. 

Ravi looked at Leo but he was innocently sipping coffee.

“You know, Ravi…” Yonghwa began as he sat himself next to Ravi.

“I would watch myself right now, hyung,” Leo said.  “The clock is ticking and don’t you have to get to that Congressional meeting soon?  The hour’s traffic might take you two hours to get there.”

Yonghwa looked at the clock and smirked.  “I hear you, kiddo.  We need to be represented,” he said.  He was about to stand back up when Heechul pushed him down again. 

“Eat, Yonghwa-ssi.  I will take both of us in the heli.  I have to go to the same one,”Heechul said.  “It will arrive in 45 minutes on the roof of this hotel.  The trip over to the place will only take 15 minutes.  So eat.  We’ll be done in 45 minutes.”

“Dongsaengi,” Jaejoong called Ravi’s attention.  “Do you remember what I told you about your place once upon a time?”

Ravi looked at Jaejoong hyung. 

“My place?  My house?” Ravi asked really confused.

“About standing still,” Jaejoong said.

Ravi frowned.

He remembered that Jaejoong had told him that the center of Kim Wonshik’s world was Kim Wonshik.  And yet, in this world, there will always be better Aossi than he and better hunters no matter where he stands.  However, even without being an Aossi, Kim Wonshik was already an outstanding person with lots of people and other Aossi behind him.  He had thought that it meant that he can only try and compare himself to himself and to be a better Wonshik today than he was yesterday.  Was there more to it?

“The warning, dongsaeng,” Jaejoong said.  “I give it to you.  Especially when you hunt alone.”

Ravi nodded as his eyes suddenly found themselves looking at Leo’s hands on the table.  Jaejoong hyung was warning him about the hunt as they had termed it.

“He doesn’t hunt alone,” Jung Yunho drawled.  “Ravi has more people in his corner than he thinks.”

Jaejoong huffed. 

Heechul laughed.

“There is a reason, I think, that Jung Taekwoon is called ‘Leo’, correct?” Heechul baited.  “He’s not named after the mighty beast for nothing.”

“And the Jungs are noted for preemptive strikes,” Junsu said. “It’s a fair warning, cutie Shikie!  Chess is not a game played by the rules, love.  Sometimes, the only way to win is to cheat.”

Ravi looked at his hyungs as if they’ve lost their heads.

“Cheat?  My god, I’m not sure where you’re going with this hyungs!” Ravi exclaimed. 

Heechul thumped Junsu on the head.  “You know he’ll never cheat!  We’ve trained him too well for that!  Fighting, Kim Wonshikkie!  Whatever you endeavor, I promise you’ll have us at your back.  Hunting using a bow and arrow is difficult in bringing down prey.”

Heechul hyung eyed the three older Jung brothers rather pointedly.

Ravi’s mind was blown.  The moment of clarity had him placing his fork on the table and moving his chair just a smidgeon away from the table.  He eyed all the people around the table and thought about the last how many months.  Something niggled at him.  Something he thinks he may have forgotten.  Something he had seen.  Something important.  He looked at Jung Leo.

Leo had bowed his head and turned away from him.  Hyuk was gripping Ken’s arm like it was his only lifeline. 

Time had stood still in that restaurant.  No one dared to breathe.

Then Leo sighed and fluidly stood up without looking at anyone, he ran his hands over his blonde hair.  And walked towards the entrance of the restaurant.  Ravi’s eyes followed him.  Something happened and the jacket that Leo had casually draped on his shoulders slipped down to the ground.  He bent down to pick it up and for that second, he looked towards Ravi.  And something in those eyes triggered something in Ravi’s memories.

Leo stood and left.   Ken and Hyuk hurriedly ran after him.

Hyuk made the international ‘I’ll call you’ sign towards Ravi.

Ravi nodded. 

“How long?” he asked the Jungs.  “How long have you known?”

The Jungs wouldn’t answer.

He turned to his brothers.  “And you guys?  Why didn’t you tell me?  I had forgotten…”

“It was against the rules, Aossi,” Jung Yonghwa said.  “None of us could say a thing about something a fever had taken.  Not when Aossi magic may have been involved.  You had to recall.”

 


	7. Cards on the Table

It all started to make sense.  The pictures in the cabinet, the silver necklace, the pen, the red feather…  Ravi looked at all of the people left on the table. 

“I’m expecting some explanation from this,” Ravi said.  “But I don’t think I can get the answers from any of you.  How much do you know?”

He looked at Jung Yunho.  Jung Yunho looked back at him with equal coldness.

“You’re asking the wrong man.  He wasn’t there when it happened,” Changmin said as he came in, swiping Jaejoong's cup of coffee. “Taekwoon is going to Japan.  I will bring you there if you like when you have had time to think.”

“Then explain, hyung,” Ravi asked.

“What do you remember?”

 

It was long ago. 

 

_The feral eyes of the Aossi child on the ground as he eyed Kim Wonshik, the new kid who sat on a stone bench, speared right into Wonshik’s soul.  Something pleaded in those eyes.  The fair Aossi on the ground being kicked and beaten by a bunch of other Aossi  and humans sickened Wonshik.  What did he do that was so wrong?  After the teachers broke up the fight, Wonshik sat there watching the kid._

_“Are you okay, Yeon-ah?” the beaten up kid asked._

_The crying dark skinned human nodded.  “But Woonie, you’re all scratched up!”_

_“It doesn’t matter,” Woonie said._

_Another Aossi child had gone up to Woonie and helped wipe off excess blood._

_Wonshik had thought that if that was him, Jaejoong hyung would have sacrificed the kids who beat him up to have him right again and Heechul hyung would have kept the others in reserve for other times.  His hyungs would have allowed him to be beaten up, that was never in question.  But they would have strung up these kids to make Wonshik whole without Wonshik being the wiser until much later._

_This sickened Wonshik and he didn’t understand why.  It was the unfairness of it, he thought.  The pretty child was so brave and yet so alone.  There was no reason to hurt this young beautiful Aossi because of a human’s mistake. After seeing it happen one more time, he was driven to action.  He decided to take up his bow and arrow once more and donned the Indian Chief’s headdress.  He put on war paint on his face and lay in wait when he heard rumors that they were going to challenge that Jung kid again especially since someone from the Lee family wasn’t around._

_Wonshik stood over the fallen boy and aimed his arrows at anyone who dared to get close to the fallen Woonie._

_“Cowards!  Take him on one on one!  Stupid idiots!” he yelled.  “You touch him again, I will bring the wrath of gods on your heads!”_

_He let fly a few arrows almost hitting a few of their feet.  They were aimed precisely.  Not meant to hurt but frighten.  He succeeded.  In the end, the boys fled.  In a circle of red feathered arrows, Woonie lay in the dirt looking up at Wonshik.  Binnie and the crying Yeon-ah went towards their friend._

_“You!” he yelled at Yeon-ah.  “You need to get stronger to defend yourself against idiots like them!  You are not your skin!  Fight with all you have!  Get mad!  You will take their respect whether they want it or not!  Otherwise, your friend will lie on the dirt because you can’t protect yourself against idiots like that!  Hold your head up and own what you are!  You should be a strong person!  Hunters can also be made!”_

_Yeon-ah nodded even as he sniffled._

_He said nothing to Binnie who was trying to help Woonie up.  Wonshik pushed Binnie away gently and stood up the fallen Woonie._

_“Stand your ground, next time!  Think about strategies.   It’s how hunters are made,” Wonshik had said.  “And when a hunter hunts, even elephants dare not breathe.”_

_“But I need to defend him,” Woonie had muttered._

_“You are strong enough to defend yourself against two, maybe three.  That was a whole army.  To defeat an army, a lone hunter must learn strategy.  A lone person cannot defend a city without strategy.  All successful generals know this,” he had told the boy._

_He stepped away from the three boys and took off his headdress.  He also went to gather the arrows he had fired.  Then he smiled at the three boys and left in the cover of the trees._

_That night, he got sick.  Jaejoong hyung and Heechul hyung had sacrificed plants and animals to see him whole again.  Apparently, he was allergic to the red paint he had smeared on himself.  That taught him never to sneak into Heechul hyung’s dresser table and pick up some random red stuff to smear on himself.  It was a poison designed for extracting information from humans.  It was extremely volatile with the Aossi._

_Heechul had learned to lock up any of his experiments from that time on._

_Junsu had redesigned the house so that the emergency room had all of their experiments clearly labeled and locked up._

_But he had to go to another school after because the class had already been too far in when he was finally declared fit and ready.  He never saw those kids again._

 

He laughed. 

“That was Taekwoonie and Hongbinnie and Hakyeon-ah,” he said.  “I apologize for those paints again, hyung.”

“Since I wasn’t there, did they get beat up again?” he asked the Jungs.

“No, not as much,” Jung Yunho said.  “It was that time that I had talked to Kim Jaejoong and had asked him to coach my brother in chess.”

Wonshik looked at Jaejoong hyung with incredulity.

“It wasn’t me,” Jaejoong said.  “I offered Junsu.”

“Ah!” Wonshik said.  “Better choice.”

“I made him play the people chess,” Junsu said.

“In VR?” Wonshik asked.

Junsu nodded.  Wonshik blanched.  It was bloody, that game was.  No wonder.  It was an effective hunter's tool, but it also played with your mind. And Junsu hyung played until the chessboard was awashed in blood.

"Did he win?" Wonshik asked.

"Sometimes," Junsu said. "The point wasn't..."

"...to win, but to learn to hunt," Wonshik finished.

Yunho nodded.  "It's what he wanted to know," Yunho said. "Someone told him to learn it."

“You guys made is so much harder for me!” Wonshik grinned.  “But don’t worry.  I will try a different strategy.  Thanks for your research, Changmin hyung.  But it was too convoluted.  It doesn’t give me anything I don’t already know.”

He stood up from his chair and walked towards the door.

“Wait, don’t you want to know where he is?  I was going to bring you there!” Changmin said.

“Not to worry.  Japan, you said?” Ravi called.  “I’ll find him.  I always find my prey.  I’m not that dumb a hunter.  And if I know Jung Leo, he’s not used to Japan’s underbelly.  He’ll find the finest glade there is.  I am fine hunting in the underbellies of the world and hiding behind trees.  See you!  Make sure you tell Binnie.  I won’t get in touch for a while.  But I know Jaejoong hyung will have me tracked anyway.”

**~*~**

 

**Hunting on High Ground**

 

A knowledgeable hunter knows the terrain well. But sometimes, every hunter gets distracted and only sees the trees and not the forest. And Ravi has done just that. Now, he needs more...data.  And he knows just how to get it. 

Lee Joon was not someone you engaged easily, but Ravi had always been the man's very close friend. The adventures they had shared had been phenomenal! But Lee Joon dealt in the underground. He was called the 'Gatekeeper' and his coin was information. And the flow of information was determined by the 'Gatekeeper.' Lee Joon was elite Aossi. And he would be game for this part of hunting. 

"An exceptional strategist, you say? Then, chingu, most likely you are being played. Your brothers seem to know and have counseled the man," Lee Joon said. 

Not anything new that Ravi had not already gleaned. 

"Yeah. That's why I want to break into his room in the VIXX house. I have reason to believe that a copy of AoW is in Jung Leo's room but with my name on it. The same like what was given to me," Ravi said. 

"There's no need to go there for just that," Lee Joon said. "Shim Changmin would be the only one who could do that. And he doesn't live in VIXX house. Plus, VIXX house isn't where Jung Leo keeps his important things. Not those he doesn't want you to find."

Ravi thought and his mind went in many directions. Of course! Like he himself had a house in LA, a room in the Kim mansion, his own family's houses around the world, etc., Jung Taekwoon would have the same. 

He turned to the computer in front of him and typed 'Jung Taekwoon'. He found what he was looking for. It wasn't easy. Because the property was under Jung Taekwoon's mother’s name. She was forced to take the druid way by his father. This was the rift that led Jung Yunho's father to adopt the very young Aossi. 

Lee Joon confirmed that Jung Leo was still in Japan. 

Ravi stealthily entered the lion's lair right beside Lee Joon who gleefully accessed the secure home. Nothing is beyond the “Gatekeeper’s” access.  Not if he wanted in.

*~*

Jung Leo entered the private room of the onsen. A feast was laid out for him. But he ignored the offering and only sat before the table. And he waited.

Moments ticked by. Ravi could stand it no longer. 

"You are usually quite ravenous, yet you touch nothing of what I have prepared, hyung," Ravi admonished. He stepped away from the ornate room divider.

Leo's eyes looked at him. There seemed to have been relief there, but he couldn't be sure. 

"Shall I feed you, hyung?" Ravi asked. 

"I was asked here for an appointment," Leo started. 

"Do you often take up any invitation given?" Ravi asked.

Indignation flared in those dark eyes.  

"If the price is right," Leo said. 

Ravi chuckled.

"Since I paid nothing yet, let's enjoy the moment," Ravi said. 

He picked up a pair of chopsticks and picked up a tuna sashimi and held it close to Leo's lips. 

Leo opened his mouth and took what was offered.

Ravi fed Leo until the other was satisfied.  There was no need for words. Ravi also ate smiling as Leo sat and did not even move to take up the other pair of chopsticks from their ornate rest.  

After the meal, he led Leo to a tea house on the compound. And in the alcove sat two books instead of the usual flower arrangement and noteworthy banner. One was Leo's copy of a treatise about Ravi and the other was a treatise about Leo. 

The one about Leo, Leo fingered the edges of.  Ravi watched as Leo’s jaw tightened just a little.  

“Did you really expect them not to make one?  I’m guessing my brothers and yours coerced Shim Changmin into making them.  Your notes were definitely insightful.  However, they’re not as new as my notes.  And my notes are incomplete on that book.  I didn’t jot down anything important,” Ravi said.  “The original treatise is almost the same, except my hyungs gave you more insight than yours did for me.  And Shim Changmin was nicer to you.”

Leo looked at him questioningly.

Ravi laughed instead of answering the question in Leo’s eyes.

“I owe you a date, yes?  Just you and me.  Let me prepare some tea,” Ravi said.  “This is not an exact ceremony.  However, the point had always been to enjoy the company.  Don’t you think so?” 

Leo gave a small nod.  

Ravi gave him a wider smile.  

“How did you find the Kim Wonshik you researched so thoroughly, hyung?  Was he everything you thought he was?” Ravi asked as he placed a measure of matcha into a thousand year old cup. 

“You’re not wearing a kimono,” Leo said quietly. 

Ravi looked at Leo and smirked.  Leo was dressed in a black suit with a black tee.  He didn’t even bother wearing socks.  Since their shoes were left outside of the tea room, Leo was barefoot. 

“Neither are you, hyung,” Ravi said. 

“It’s not complete,” Leo said quietly. 

“Let’s just enjoy tea, hyung,” Ravi said.  “I don’t want to wait too long with the whole ceremony and I can’t remember each step.”

“No.  The book,” Leo said. 

“That’s true.  You didn’t write down why you called me Ravi and then proceeded to forget that’s what you called me.  When you addressed me, it was always Wonshik,” Ravi said. 

“Everyone else was calling you Ravi,” Leo said.  “I wanted it to be…special.” 

“I see,” Ravi said.  “We’re alone.  Is it special enough?” 

A creeping flush suffused Leo’s cheeks.  He bent his head.  Ravi siddled next to Leo and brought his head up to look directly into his eyes. 

There was no embarrassment reflected there, there was… something… angrily slithering in those dark orbs. 

“I wonder, Kim Ravi,” Leo began, “if I should cite you for trespassing or applaud you for having found my home.” 

“Explain then, hyung, why you wanted to know so much about me,” Ravi asked. 

“You were an interesting person,” Leo said his face, placid like a lake where no winds disturbed.  

“And now?”

“You disappoint,” Leo said standing up, not touching the cup of tea offered. 

Ravi laughed.  “Sit, Leo hyung, if I am not enough, then I will take my leave.  You see, finding the book gave me hope.  I have a lot of hopes.  The notes within gave me some insight as well.  You got me, hyung.  Each methodical play was played well,” Ravi conceded.  “Except you didn’t account for N’s persistence.” 

Leo sat with a huff.  “N does not realize that I am only responsibility for him,” Leo said.

“Did you not tell me the same?”

“So you will come for me,” Leo said.  “Kim Wonshik values that which is not easily acquired.”

“A hunter knows its prey’s habits,” Ravi conceded.  “Indeed.” 

“You didn’t need to go as far as what you did with Hongbin,” Ravi said.

“No, but I wanted to know if you would protect N or Hongbin,” Leo said.  “It was not an easy decision knowing how Hongbin was.  Especially not with you seeing him… unclothed.  I also needed to know just how close you and he were.  How close you allowed… But his offering was the deciding factor.” 

“Me clinging to you or pretending to,” Ravi said. 

Leo nodded.

“Why didn’t you just approach me, hyung?” Ravi asked.

“You needed to be there, with me,” Leo said.  “Not in the US.” 

“Even N’s suggestion to form a boy band?” Ravi asked.

“You were… pursuing hip hop… in the US.  Needed you to stay,” Leo said.  “A career in entertainment I could offer.”

“In all this then, why didn’t you tell N who I was?” Ravi asked. 

Leo looked at him, his emotions carefully hidden behind blank eyes and a bland face.  He turned away from Ravi’s gaze.  

“Your moon is beautiful,” Leo said, looking up into the heavens from the open window of the tea room. 

“It is Beaux Nocturne,” Ravi said.  “My name then?” 

“I liked it… Ravi…” Leo said.  “It should have been better if I kept it to myself. I waited for you to ask.  You never did.  It was bait.” 

Ravi chuckled. 

“You’re not exactly easy to approach, hyung,” Ravi said.

“I gave you opportunities,” Leo said.  

“Yes, but they were brief encounters,” Ravi said.  “Or you were too silent.”

Leo looked at Ravi and said, “N admired the man with the bow.  I did not want him to know it was you.”

Ravi laughed.

“VIXX house is yours totally and completely, yes?” Ravi asked.  

Leo nodded.

“Why allow me in?”

“Built for you.  Was.  Heechul hyung said…” Leo hesitated.  Ravi already knew that his hyungs had been instrumental in shaping Leo. 

“I get it.  My prison?” Ravi asked.

Leo shook his head no.  So the intent wasn’t to keep him in VIXX house.  That much he surmised.

“I wrote the words in France,” Leo said suddenly.

Ravi had to keep up but he didn’t say anything.  What did Leo write?

“I saw you by the Seine with the sunset behind… it was… so I wrote that,” Leo said.  “Je suis ravie de vous voir…”

“That’s why my name?”

Leo nodded.

Ravi recalled that he had taken a Paris vacation and stayed a month the summer after his Freshman year in High School.  The Seine was his favorite hangout.  People watching on the river bank walk was so entertaining.  Ravi’s mind travelled to the lighted cabinet in Leo’s room in VIXX house. 

“The pen?”

“You used it to sign the business papers in LA.”

“The heart?”

“Love letter to your gf in middle school.  She threw it away when you worked so hard to make it.”

Ravi was stunned.  He didn’t even remember what that girl's name was in middle school anymore.  Or what that particular heart shaped note had said.

Leo sighed.  “I took the bow and arrow when you were sick.  That time.  Because Jaejoong hyung allowed me in your room.  You were feverish. Your prize from when you won a competition in the States.  I also stole that picture of you and the three hyungs.  It was when you were three.”

“Why, hyung?”

“I wanted something of yours.  Just something.”

“That was a long time ago.  I mean, for that long?”

Leo nodded.  Ravi surmised that his Indian Chief Running Water escapade began all of it in elementary school.  But something about everything niggled at him.  If all the information he had gathered were this detailed, this… calculated… It was a siege… methodical… swift… almost leaving nothing to chance…

“So the train ride in Seoul?”

Leo sighed. 

“I have been…stalking you… for a very long time, Kim Wonshik.  I learned your habits, the places you use, what kind of soap you wash with, the colognes you like, the things you like doing, what time you brush your teeth, how you wash your feet… You do not know.  Many times, I had brushed against you, willing you to look… to see…to find me.  That time, you did.  And because of it, you decided to stay.”

“You could have approached me,” Ravi began.

“The States, LA especially, have many Aossi smells.  There are so many of them in varying degrees.  I was lost in the teeming crowd.  Here, in Seoul, there is none like me.  You felt me on that train among humans.  You knew it was me, an Aossi hunter.  The hunter in you could not resist.  The States offers Aossi ways to get lost.  Perhaps it is the spell cast over it, perhaps not.  The point, Kim Wonshik, is that I needed you here so you could see me, know me… be…enthralled… I first had to give you a reason.  I needed bait.” 

Ravi raised an eyebrow.  The magnitude of it… the complexity… the…devotion…

Ravi sipped the cold, cold tea.  Jung Taekwoon had laid all his cards on the table. 

“What happens now, hyung?  What other play do you have up your sleeve?”

“You’re here.  I’m waiting for you to tell me what your plans are,” Leo said.

Ravi laughed loudly.  He sidled next to Leo. 

“Come on now, hyung, you know how this game is played,” Ravi said as he lowered his voice.   “I want you completely enthralled.  So… Come catch me.”

Leo sighed.  He looked towards Ravi who was already at the door of the tea house. 

Ravi looked back at the perplexed Leo.  He grinned at the man.

“What do I get if I do catch you?”

“I will grant one wish of yours each time you catch me,” Ravi promised. 

And just like that, Ravi left.  It was only a matter of time.  It wasn’t as if Kim Wonshik wanted to not be caught.  He just has to make it entertaining for Jung Taekwoon.  He might as well have fun as well.  He had no doubt that Leo will come and chase him.  This is what he lived for.  Many years it’s what he did. 

He clutched the book in his hands.  Every wish Leo had recorded was in that book.  He will just have to figure out what route to take to make the most of all the stops Leo had described.  It was going to be so much fun!  Ravi grinned.  Ah! 

He was the fish.  And this was catch and release.  After all, Ravi is a special fish.  He is the only one that delights a certain fisherman. 

 

~*~

Epilogues coming out!!!


	8. Epilogue 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue 2a and 2b are smut fest. So do not read past Epilogue 1 if you do not like smut, sex, and descriptions of that!!!!!!!!  
> WARNING!!!!!!!!!

The card came as always whenever he wasn’t there.  And there were only two words on it as always. 

 “Catch me.”

In the box it came in, there was a miniature bow and arrow. His only clues. 

He called the VIXX house members sans Ravi together. 

“What now?”  Hyuk asked. 

Hongbin, Ken, N, and Hyuk had surmised that Leo’s objective of capturing Ravi had happened three years ago, but every now and then, Ravi will leave and a note appears.  Leo will call the four of them and they have to figure it out before the designated hour.  Because if that hour mark passes, another clue comes, but Leo receives a penalty. 

The last time it took 72 hours when it should have taken 24,  Leo came back home with bruises on his wrists and marks all over his body.  N had gasped, while Hongbin, Hyuk and Ken had laughed knowing what those particular purple marks were.  Leo punished them all, nonetheless. 

N vowed to never miss that deadline again.  His job was made harder as he had to explain why Leo hated to reveal his abs and why he was constantly in long sleeves.  Ravi was pleased. He wore a perpetual grin for the next month. 

_“You enjoyed yourself, hyung, come on, admit it,” Ravi had teased._

_Leo grinned, but countered, “Yes, but I like to win.  Within the specified hour, you are at my mercy.  After that, I am at yours.  So, I like winning.”_

_Ravi laughed._

And the cycle had continued.

This time, something about the bow and arrow felt... different. 

It was a gut feeling.

"Come one, come all..." Hyuk read from the box.

"Circus," N said, trying to work out the clues left behind as quickly as possible.

"Picture of all six of us," Ken said, looking at the box as well. 

Hongbin looked all around the box. 

Leo snatched the box and looked at the picture. 

“Our first clue.  The picture.  That was in the US.  In the Grand Canyon.  Because the clock on the box says I have the equivalent of 5 days to go chasing clues, if I know him this means it's a global treasure hunt so to speak. The last time he gave me 72 hours before penalties I crossed seven countries because he was going by each country on a certain latitude," Jung Leo pouted. “We need to hurry.  Something about this bow and arrow.” 

Ken laughed. That was always fun.  Ravi was a master at games like this.  Sometimes, the time was set so that Leo would be late just because the man had something else he would like Leo to experience.  And Leo always came home with a smile.  It made the older man’s eyes twinkle and his cheeks appear whenever Ravi did something like this.  Ken understood, this game was just as much for Leo as it was for Ravi.  Apparently, Ravi liked to indulge Leo an awful lot.

"So, 'Come one, come all' means all six of us?" Hongbin asked.

Leo nodded already out the door and calling for the sports cars. Not the limo. That was too slow. 

~*~

Leo looked around the lodge.  It was so familiar.  This was where Ravi was that first time. 

After the Japanese tea Leo had not touched, Ravi had left with those words.  And a note was handed to Leo hours after.  He might have caught Ravi earlier if he hadn’t sat there with a stupefied expression on his face. 

The race to catch Ravi ended up here.  It was this lodge near the Grand Canyon, USA.  Leo felt as if Ravi was just waiting for him when he did finally catch up to him.  Since it was the first time, there was no time limit.  Ravi had wanted Leo to catch him here.  They stayed here for two days learning about each other in ways only lovers were allowed.  But Ravi also taught him how to shoot a short Indian bow here as well as how to string one up.  Leo still has that bow hanging in his personal house along with the treatise on him that Shim Changmin had done.  Leo did ask if Ravi will give him a copy of the one he had made with regards to Ravi. 

_Ravi had grinned and said, “Nope.  My prize.”_

“The Rangemaster.  He would or should remember me,” Leo said. 

He and the other four ran to the outdoor range and the rangemaster chuckled.  They were handed another envelope. 

Hawaii?  The picture handed to them was of Leo and Ravi in Hawaii.  Haleakala during sunrise. 

Maui.  Leo remembered this was the second place that Ravi had stopped, allowing Leo to ‘catch’ him.  Koa wood for a bow he had said.  But the Koa was too stiff.  Ravi had ended up with a  beautiful bamboo bow instead.  But Maui carried more memories.  Ravi had greeted him with a lei.  Leo smiled at the memory. 

_“Aw, Leo hyung got leid in Maui,” Ravi had teased.  “A first for you, yes?”_

Where did that bamboo bow end up in?  It was presented to another Aossi in…

Leningrad.  And Leo was right.  When they got to the shop that created that beautiful bow for them, the picture in the envelope was the Kremlin.

Leo was getting the hang of where Ravi was leading them.  Which was a good thing because he could have sworn his how many day was fast dwindling.  There was a statue of an archer in the small theatre that Ravi had brought him to.  A first, again, for Leo.  The first time he has heard and seen Swan Lake live.  The first time Ravi had brushed his lips across Leo’s knuckles in a public place and Swan Lake had faded into the background.  And the first time Ravi had slipped a band on his long fingers.  Leo fingered the band as his brothers and he searched the box that Ravi had secured that day.  His hand slipped off the band and on the inside of the band was the arrow and heart symbol. 

“I found it!” Ken said waving the black and gold card in the air. 

“Athens.  A small jeweler where he bought my ring,” Leo said.

“How did you know?” Hongbin asked, holding up the picture of Leo’s hand and ring.

“This trip is about a lot of firsts.  Each one connecting by one memory or another all having to do with an arrow or a bow or both,” Leo said. 

Athens proved right.  And in that shop, a picture was again given.  Plus he was handed another ring.  This one has the words “Agape mou” written in the inside.  Right next to the shop was a pub called “Bow and Arrow.”  Their first taste of authentic ouzo and their first twin hangovers the next day happened there. 

“Cupid?” N asked as he looked at the picture. 

“Vous-etes RAVIssante,” Hyuk read.  The picture had words behind it. 

"Let's get ourselves to Paris. We need to get there as soon as possible,” Leo chuckled.  “I think there’s a sculpture of cupid like that in the Louvre.  We really need to get there fast!”

They rode a private jet to Paris where the statue of Cupid was. Theywent to the Louvre, but it’s not the right statue.  Hyuk, Hongbin, and Ken were all googling all the cupids in Paris they could find. 

"Dammit! There are so many!" Hyuk had said.

They finally found the right cupid in a public street, on a fountain that was currently not working. 

Taekwoon looked around. The square was all too familiar.

_“Look, it's cupid and he shot an arrow through my heart, hyung," Ravi had said. "My one true love should kiss me before I die."_

And Leo had. The first he had initiated in a public place. 

A mime danced his way towards Taekwoon and an iris flower was presented to him. A note was attached to it. And a red string.

"Come catch me. You're taking too long!" The note said. Leo took off. The other four ran to keep up with him. The string wove up and down until they rounded near a cafe where Leo had caught Ravi drinking coffee, that first time they had come to Paris together.  Well, Ravi had come first and Leo had to chase him down.  A pair of binoculars was attached to the red string. Leo swung the binoculars into the night sky. And found unerringly, the div of one Kim Wonshik waving at him from the Eiffel Tower. 

Leo's heart beat too quickly. Surely... No... He wouldn't... Would he? 

"Hyung, there is only 30 minutes left!!!!" Hongbin yelled.

"He's waiting at the Eiffel tower," Leo answered. 

The four broke into a run asking the people around how fast they could get to the Eiffel tower. 

Leo just walked across the street and rented a motorbike. The four followed his lead and within 15 minutes, they started climbing up the tower.

There at the top stood all of their friends and family. 

"Hello, hyung," Ravi snagged him from behind. "Leo...Leo...Leo...  Jung Taekwoonie… Will you... Stay with me forever and a day? Marry me…Now? Chase my ass all over? I promise to make all your dreams come true."

"J'etaime, Kim Wonshik. Je suis ravie de vous voir. Vous-etes ravissante," Leo whispered. "I will hunt you down, no matter what."

Ravi laughed. Leo laughed. 

"I love you, too... But you are late by 3 minutes 29 seconds," Ravi grinned. "So you get to wear Heechul hyung's flower suit instead of the elegant white one Jaejoong hyung picked for you to our wedding.  And Junsu hyung gets to fuss with your hair. Plus, because the four could not help you get here fast enough, they also have to wear vibrantly colorful flower suits like Heechul hyung."

Ken pouted. "We freaking tried, dammit! You got us with the cupid!!!!"

N sighed. "I do not look good in flower suits!" he muttered. "Mark my words, Kim Ravi, I will not lose next time."

"You guys should have called me," Shim Changmin said.

"Aish, hyung!" Hyuk said. "The last time we asked you to help, you had us clearing your office and Leo hyung got there 29 seconds too late.  We all knew that Ravi hyung had time it so that Leo hyung would get there at least 30 seconds earlier!"

Jung Taekwoon didn't listen to the bickering. His scenario was right. A wedding on the Eiffel tower, a proposal... A kiss... Would be perfect…He reached for Kim Wonshik's head and brought the other's lips down on his.  This was bliss... Kissing the hunter that makes him surrender again and again. 

"I caught you," Jung Taekwoon whispered against his beloved's lips. 

Ravi growled. "Yeah... You did.  Is there any way we can… shoo… all of them… away?"

Leo laughed.

Their relationship wasn’t smooth.  No relationship is.  There were instances when Leo’s anger gets the better of him and Ravi is pinned beneath one growling El Rey Leon.  More often than not though, Ravi is the one laughingly hauling him away from hitting someone or pummeling someone else into the ground.  Ravi was not perfectly happy all the time either.  And sometimes when the anger flares he leaves VIXX house only to return and talk with Leo in a calmer manner.  They were both headstrong.  But Ravi knew when the fight wasn’t worth it and gives in. 

N had noted cattily that Ravi indulges Leo a little too much.  Ravi just laughed at him and countered that Hongbin does the same for N.  Besides, Leo heard Ravi say, that a smiling Jung Leo was such a cutie.  The downside of that was that too many people want to approach that smiling cutie.  Leo had glared at Ravi, but to no avail.  A smiling Ravi was…is… truly irresistible.  For him, the hunter will act as prey.  A fish to his fisherman.  Such was Ravi’s…affection for him. 

In this hunter's game, the prey and hunter both win. Catch and release... But not tonight. After they've said their vows.... Tonight, Leo relishes being tied to this man that craddled him tenderly to his chest. He'll keep his fishy for a while longer. He doesn’t think the fish will object either.

~F*I*N*I~


	9. Epilogue 2 Part 1 - Bidan Gil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongbin and Hakyeon's story. WARNING!!!!! Very Adult!!!!! Smut fest!!!!!

Hongbin sighed as he lounged on Ravi's bed. Leo was on his stomach looking at the music Ravi had created. Ravi was just finishing up a video conference with his group in LA.

Ever since three months ago, when Leo and Ravi got back from the Grand Canyon,  Leo was most often seen in Ravi's room. It was obvious that his long objective of capturing Ravi's interest was gained.

"What's wrong, Binnie?" Leo asked.

"Hyung, I'm stumped. N hyung has begrudgingly been with me and I've found ways to make the term longer, but he hasn't been... You know... And I'm fucking frustrated..." Hongbin muttered.

Ravi chuckled.

Ken and Hyuk climbed into Ravi's room using the windows. They were a comical pair. No wonder Leo liked them around. They provided comic relief for the somewhat quiet Jung Leo. 

Ravi understood this. Lee Jaehwan was Lee Joon's cousin, after all. It seemed that the Lees like this breaking and entering. Perhaps it was in their blood. Apparently, the Hans were related to the Lees or at least Lee Jaehwan's side with Han Sanghyuk's side by a marriage some centuries back. So the two were experts at entering places without using doors. This time, they had tumbled into the room as they were apparently racing to get in.

"Beat you by a second, hyung! Admit it! Han Sanghyuk is better than you!" the maknae crowed.

"That was temporary aberration!" Ken argued.

"Nonetheless, he won," Leo judged. "What was the prize?"

Ken sighed. He held out his hand to Ravi. Ravi went to his desk and procured the rolled up paper, tied up in a red ribbon.

Hyuk gleefully accepted it. And before the four he unrolled his prize. Sanghyuk laughed gleefully. Hongbin gasped and moaned. 

"I want that!" he moaned.

"You can ask Ken hyung to make you one," Hyuk said with a smile.

Ken was a noted sketch artist. And according to Hyuk's direction, he drew Leader Cha bound and gagged. And Lee Jaehwan had risen to the occasion.  The maknae saw it as a good rendition of Leader Cha for him to use as target practice for darts. Hongbin saw his secret desires splayed out on paper.

"No, I want him like that. Waiting for me to... And to pleasure him while I... I want that... Not a drawing... Just like that..." Hongbin gasped out.

Leo laughed and blushed.

Ravi laughed as well.

"It can be done," Ravi said.

He took his wireless keyboard from his desk and sat on the bed next to Leo. He punched in words and what came up on the screen made Hongbin gasp in delight. Hyuk and Ken went closer to the screen.

"Wow!" Hyuk exclaimed.

"Is that one length of cloth?" Ken asked.

Leo nodded, not that Ken was actually interested in the answer. Nor could he see Leo nod since Hyuk and he were almost kissing the 50 inch flat screen. But Hongbin saw it. His eyes widened. Leo hyung must have had first-hand experience!

"It's designed so that if the bound person struggles too much, certain parts would tighten. So, the bounder... So to speak... Would need to be extra careful with his charge," Ravi explained.

"The silk cloth is designed to feel like a lover's caress, though. Albeit forceful," Leo muttered.  "If only I wasn't late that time."

Ravi chuckled, caressing Leo's burning cheek with a finger.

"A second late, love, is still late," Ravi said. "And that time, I timed it so that you would have been one second late. But you were one hour late because N hyung was being too cautious."

Leo narrowed his eyes at Ravi.

"You wanted to do that?!?!" Leo asked.

"That was as much for your enjoyment as it was mine," Ravi said. "Had you not lost, you would never have known of this pleasure."

"What do you call this...this...this....?" Hongbin asked, his mouth watering at the image of Leader Cha bound in such a way.

"This," Leo grinned, "is pleasure beyond compare for the bound if done right."

"Teach me, hyungs!" Hongbin begged.

"So, what do they call this?" Hyuk asked.

"Because the silk is made specifically for this and it is such a great length, nor can it be too thick... In fact, it is almost gossamer thin... Because of all that..." Ravi was trying to explain.

"Come on, man!" Ken interrupted. "Just tell us this what they call this style!"

"This is called 'The Silk Road'. Bidan gil."

 

~*~*~

  
Hongbin licked his lips.  He caressed N's red hair with a smile. He was still sleeping. Kim Heechul's potion was indeed effective. Hongbin now understood why the Aossi gave the Kims such respect. Spells were not needed for Cha Hakyeon was human.

"You, Aossi, just need to somehow have him take the powder," Heechul hyung had grinned when Ravi had told his cousins what they were up to.

Kim Junsu provided him with the cloth he needed and demonstrated how to loop it, tie it, and secure it. Yuchun smilingly offered himself as the 'dummy.' Of course, when Yuchun was bound, Kim Junsu had roughly shoved Hongbin out of his door and guards had hurriedly taken him away from the mansion.

Ravi had laughed at that and said, "Well, hell, Binnie. Hyung was the one who discovered that technique! And the term came from him! But when it's on Yuchun hyung, Junsu hyung can't fucking resist him. Why do you think Yuchun hyung happily volunteered himself?!?! He knew he was going to get so much pleasure on Bidan gil."

Getting Cha Hakyeon to take the potion was easy as well. Leo hyung had offered himself as bait. The drug only worked on humans. The Aossi was not affected. So, Leo hyung drank tea, N drank a sleeping potion.

The rest of the group had helped him transport N to the cabin and fixed the cabin so it would look more like a seraglio than a lodge. Hongbin looked around and was amused. This wasn't done by the other four alone. The Jungs and the Kims had a hand in it.

The gossamer curtains over the massive wrought iron bed, the silk sheets, and the rose petals on the bed... There were vials of oil provided. Grapes, chocolates, cheese, bread... Thankfully, no knives. Hongbin chuckled softly. A clay jar of a rare vintage wine, metal goblets instead of glass. A small refrigerator was stocked with cold bottles of water and nothing else. The bathroom in the suite had everything he needed to clean up his beloved hyung. A claw foot tub instead of the regular shower... He supposed that if N hyung was mad as all hell, Hongbin could be drowned in it. So, the plan was to fuck his hyung until he can't even stand. Hongbin smiled gleefully.

Leo hyung and Ravi had helped him tie up Leader Cha. The potion had a set time when it wore off.  Hongbin didn't want N in such a constricted manner for a long period, so they timed it. The two had just left. Just a few more minutes and his prize will soon wake...

~*~

N woke to unfamiliar surroundings. He also felt something over his mouth. He wanted to rip it away, but found that his hands were bound. His legs as well. He was first alarmed, then soothing hands lay themselves on his temple and familiar fingers ran through his hair.

"Hhhhhgghmmmpphhh!" N tried to convey.

"Shhhhhh, hyung. It's okay. I wanted you like this and someone told me of this. I won't hurt you, hyung. You know this. But I want you to want me. I want you so bad, you see, hyung. So just this time, hmmmm? Besides, this is a fitting penalty, don't you think? For accepting Leo hyung's invite to tea?" Hongbin cajoled.

N struggled some more, trying to convey what he wanted to Hongbin. He tried to get his tongue around the thing in his mouth.

Hongbin chuckled and swiped his wet tongue over N's lips, pushing that thing deeper into N's mouth.

"This is a very precious gem, hyung," Hongbin said. "It's an extremely rare pearl, grown to this exact size for just this purpose.  Not many can have this, hyung. Aren't you special?"

N just wanted it off. He swallowed. Hongbin traced his lips with his tongue again and again. N felt a frission of electricity run from that sinful tongue all over his nerve endings. He shivered. That tongue and those lips were travelling down his neck where it sucked and licked and bit.

N felt his heart rate increase. This was not good! He needed to get out! A moan escaped his throat. He gasped. He shouted. Someone help him!

"Mmmmmhhhhyyyhhghhgmmmpppphhhh!!!!!"

"What's that, hyung?" Hongbin asked, his dimples deep, his smile wide. "Now, now. Stop struggling. You've had this fantasy since we were teenagers, right? Of the Indian chief kidnapping you, tying you up and having his way with you?!?! You tell me all your fantasies after all." 

"Mmmhhhmmmmphhhh" N said, struggling against the mouth gag and the silk cloth that bound him. Whoever told Hongbin to do this was a sick bastard. Sick!!!! Sick!!!! He pulled and the silk tightened painfully against.... His eyes watered, his breath whooshed out of him.... Is he fucking turned on? The blood had rushed south. He could feel his cock suddenly springing to attention like a fucking soldier!!!!

"Is this pleasurable, hyung? The Indian Chief told me this would be. Leo hyung nodded with a grin in agreement. Do you want to know who the Indian Chief was? I could tell you... After... Or maybe not..." 

Hongbin was enjoying this! This fucker!!!! He moved again, cautiously. Oh, my fucking gawd! What was that? The silk had slid deliciously over his nipples. He whimpered. He struggled harder. A forceful arm jerked him to a naked body.

"Stop, hyung! The silk is designed so you don't bruise, but you struggling like this will cut off circulation to parts you do not want cut off, hyung," Hongbin said quietly. "Lie there passively, hyung. Like you usually lay down on my bed when we sleep because it's penalty."

That WAS the problem! N could not lie passively next to Hongbin. At least, not since he saw him rise from Taekwoon's bed naked! And that! That still pisses him off!

N was aware that the bindings somehow connected his hands and legs. He shifted. Then he gasped. A hot, throbbing, turgid cock slipped between the cheeks of his ass and lay pulsing against his somehow separated balls.

Hongbin groaned against N's ears.

"I didn't expect you to do that, hyung," Hongbin whispered.

But he didn't mean to do it! N wanted to protest, but the pearl blocked his mouth so completely, he couldn't move his tongue to form words properly.

"You have no idea what you're doing to me," Hongbin muttered. "But, I'll forgive you. Just lay still, hyung. I promise to fill all your orifices with my essence."

If this asshole winks like Jaehwan, N swore to fucking choke him when N manages to get his hands out of this crap!

Hongbin only grinned wider at him.

Gawd! Can those dimples go any deeper?!?!  They could probably hide the Hope diamond in those dimples and it will never be found! N knew his thoughts were just this side of nutso, but he couldn't help himself! He was bound and gagged and if he surmised the situation correctly, he was about to be fucked by Hongbin of all people! Breathe! Yes, breathe deeply.

'Om mani padme huuuummmmm....' He formed in his mind.

He relaxed and felt better... The silk loosened around all the tight places.  
'Om mani padme hummmm oh my gawd!'

Hongbin had somehow managed to flip N on his back, his knee raised in the air, his hands tied just so to his ankle, a piece of silk covered  his cock and Hongbin's wet mouth enclosed it all! Who the fuck taught this idiot all this?!?!

Ohm mani padme hum. Fucking padme hummm dum hum... Gawd! What the hell?!?!  Hongbin's tongue on the silk was wet, hot, swirling at his head and doing its best to insert cloth into its tiny slit.  
N couldn't control his breathing. He wanted... No! Ohm mani padme hum.   Ohm mani padme cum... Ohm mani padme cum... Fuck! Let him cum!

Saliva had pooled in his mouth. He swallowed, but he could feel some escape around the pearl in his mouth. Hongbin was such a... Ohm mani padme cum.... Ohm mani let me cum... Oh many let me cum....

Oh, gawd let him cum many many....Fuck!

His hips jerked. No!!! Not with Hongbin!!! Omigawd!!!! His hips were trembling, his breath short ragged. Drool pooled in his mouth and ran down his cheek. He couldn't....

Hongbin chuckled and pulled N's cock out of his mouth with an obscene pop. N couldn't help it, he spilled into the air between Hongbin's smile and his hand.

"Mmmhhhppphhhh!" N tried to tell Hongbin to remove the stupid pearl in his mouth.

"Not yet, hyung," Hongbin grinned. "I would love for you to give me the same treatment. Suck me off... But that can wait..." Hongbin said. "Do you know how much I've loved you all these years?"

N was spent. Loved? This was Hongbin loving him?!?! What the fuck?!?! N wanted to be untied. Hongbin reached behind N's neck and undid a knot. The silk gave a little slack. N pressed his advantage. He almost got loose!

Hongbin laughed and jerked the ends of the fabric to him, effectively imprisoning N close to Hongbin.

"Be good, hyung," Hongbin whispered against N's mouth. "Letting my prey go so quickly would make Leo hyung question my abilities as a hunter. I can't have that, hyung."

N just wanted to be able to get away.  Being like this with Hongbin... N feared...

"Now, hyung, there's no need to cry," Hongbin said gently. He fastened the fabric ends to another set of fabric that was waiting on the iron headboard. Then wiped N's tears tenderly.

N's legs were drawn high,  his arms splayed open over the expanse of the bed. Hongbin tugged and any give in the fabric was gone. The fabric pulled his legs apart as well. For all intents and purposes, he was displayed quite blatantly to Hongbin's gaze. His ass twitched.

Hongbin laughed witnessing the tight bud pulsing.

"We'll get there, hyung," Hongbin promised darkly.

Oil was poured over his belly. Hongbin's hands skimmed over N's heated skin, spreading the oil over his front.  Then oil was poured over his suddenly hard cock. It twitched to the contact of oil over it. The oil ran down the crack of his ass and his hidden rosette breathed in anticipation.

N whimpered. Hongbin caressed himself with his oily hands. N watched his pink cock grow much fatter and longer than before.

Oh gawd! He thought. That's never fitting there! He shook his head, his hips shaking, his eyes wide, pleading!

Hongbin laughed.

"I'll prepare you. I'm seriously not that big, hyung. Ravi and Leo hyung are way bigger than my puppy. Really."

N shook his head, when he felt a finger ease its way inside of his asshole. Fuck! Oh he is so.... What? Omigawd!! His hips jerked to meet Hongbin's fingers. Liberal drops of oil made him slick, soon two fingers wormed their way inside of him.  Hongbin's fingers were not little! They were long and... Fucking aaahhhh. What the hell was that?!?!

"Almost, hyung. I promise it won't be too painful."

Three fingers went in and again N found himself drooling. Oh, gawd, yes hit that!  Just like.... THAT!!!!!

He's going to.... He has to....

"Come for me, Yeon hyung," Hongbin whispered and just like that, N spilled into Hongbin's hand.

He knows Hongbin was still waiting, but surely he can't do anything more!!! He needs rest!!!

The push of something hot and throbbing against his ass jerked him from his languid state.

"Now that you're a puddle of goo..." Hongbin said with a smile. "Let me see if you'd rise to this occasion, hyung."

Fuck himself backwards!! That fucking seductively low voice and the pleasure of .... He meant fuck! pressure!!! Preasure....pleasure.... Of being completely filled had him indeed again 'rising' to the fucking occasion!!! What has Hongbin done to him? Flashes of those sleepless nights spent in Hongbin's bed with his hand firmly between his legs willing his erection away frittered through his mind. Hongbin had the disgusting habit of sleeping naked next to N. Of course any one would  be turned on!

_'Don't be shy and come to me_   
_Open the tightly shut silk road,_   
_Don't be anxious, loosen your legs_   
_Trust me, lay down comfortably and close your eyes...'_

Hongbin had paused to allow N's body to adjust to him. But fuck! N heard words he's sure he was imagining. What the hell?!?! Oh, its music...

Fuck it! N just wanted Hongbin to fucking ram himself over and over into N. Especially when even Hongbin's breathing causes his cock inside N to move against that spot so deliciously.

Hongbin slowly withdrew from the tight sheath. He bit his lip. Beads of sweat formed over his forehead.

"I don't want to hurt you, hyung, but damn!!! You feel so good around me... I want... No... I'll let you be pleased first," Hongbin whispered.

Gently, gently Hongbin rocked into N. N couldn't take the pace. He bucked hard against Hongbin, his bound  hips snapping over and over, slamming as deep as his bindings allowed against Hongbin's thrusts.

"Faster?!?!" Hongbin asked.

N nodded.

Hongbin picked up the pace.

Gawd, yes, like that!!!! N's head was rolling on the pillows.  Deeper!!! Yes!!!! Just like... And without Hongbin even touching his cock, N again spilled. Hongbin's orgasm was also fast approaching gauging from the almost frantic snap of his hips against Hakyeon's pelvis.

"Aaaahhhhh!" Hongbin sighed his release.

Hakyeon collapsed into a blissful slumber.

When he woke, he was being gently lowered into warm water and lovingly cleansed.

He wasn't bound, but it didn't matter. His bones were liquified.

Hongbin kissed him deeply, his tongue delving deep into N's mouth. N wanted more. He pulled Hongbin's head closer to his so that the kiss was much deeper.  Hongbin slid his mouth away from N's mouth and trailed it down N's neck.

"You're probably sore, hyung. So rest today," Hongbin whispered against his nipples.

Fuck rest! He moaned.  He grabbed Hongbin's throbbing member in his hands and slid it into the crack of his ass.

"Fuck me," N demanded. "Fuck me hard. So I won't forget when this day is done."

N pushed himself onto Hongbin's throbbing cock.  He kissed Hongbin and finally felt Hongbin's hands guiding him, lifting him and settling him down on Hongbin until he was filled with nothing but Hongbin.

"Move," N demanded when Hongbin sat still.

"In this position, hyung, I can't really move," Hongbin muttered. "You have to do it."

N wailed.  Hongbin sighed.

"Then move your leg over to the otherside. Turn slowly around until you're facing my toes, hyung," commanded this deep voiced fucker dongsaeng.

N gingerly did as he was bid. Hongbin winced. N stopped. He slowly turned himself on Hongbin's cock.

"We'll both slowly stand, hyung, okay?" Hongbin said.

Fuck, whatever he says just as long as N gets fucked!!! He nodded, unfolding his legs as Hongbin also did the same, still not breaking contact.

Hongbin slid out and N wailed. Hongbin pushed N's head down.  And made him grasp the other edge of the tub. Then using conditioner to coat himself, Hongbin slowly filled N again. N murmured his approval.

But that was just the start. Hongbin slapped N's buttocks making N cry out, but making N's cock twitch deliciously.

"Now, Hongbin!" N demanded.

Without warning, Hongbin withdrew and rammed into N. N shivered in delight. He stuck his ass out more and Hongbin used N's waist as leverage to push and pull him. N's balls bounced and jiggled along with his cock as Hongbin rammed into him again and again, playing with his pleasure nub over and over until he spilled into the water and Hongbin spilled inside of him. N collapsed to his knees in the water. Hongbin clasped him to his chest and grabbed at a towel, wrapped it around N and carried his hyung back to the now pristine bed.

Hongbin was dressed and so was he when next he woke.

"Food, hyung?" Hongbin asked. "Wine?"

"Water," N croaked.

Hongbin went and poured water into one of the goblets provided and brought it to N.

"Why are you dressed?" N asked.

"Because despite the fact that I'm horny as fuck for you, I also care enough to not hurt you. And me being naked next to you guarantees I will fuck you more," Hongbin said as he planted a kiss on N's forehead. "I'm surprised you're not running away."

N gulped down his water and stretched out the empty vessel back to Hongbin who was about to take it.

"No, give me more," N commanded.

Hongbin complied.  
N drank his fill.

"Food," N demanded.

Hongbin brought the cheese, bread and grapes over.  
He fed N the grapes one berry at a time.  
After five berries, N sighed.

"I'm guessing VIXX house was in on this," N said.

"Yes," Hongbin said.

"Who told you about tying me up that way?"

"Does it really matter?"

"You said something about the Indian Chief," N said.

Hongbin bit his lip.

No, he wouldn't want N to know who he is. Leo must have found him. But Leo had Ravi now. The Chief would be N's for the...

"Fuck. It's Kim Wonshik, isn't it? How the heck didn't I put it together?"

"Leo hyung didn't want you to and neither did I," Hongbin said.

"So what happens now?!?!"

"You tell me, hyung. Obviously, my body and yours fit in all the right places," Hongbin said. "But I want more. I want to be able to sleep in your bed or you in mine. To greet you good morning, to hear you tell me you love me. I want a future together. I want something akin to what Leo hyung and Ravi have together. So it's up to you."

"Can I think about it?" N prevaricated. Yes! Yes! He wants that, too, but dammit! He is not going to sound desperate.

"I also want to make love to you. Sweet and slow, although Bidan Gil may make an appearance every so often," Hongbin continued.

"Bidan Gil? Silk road? That's the song that kept playing last night..."

Hongbin laughed. "It's Xia's latest hit. And I thought it was appropriate because that particular bondage technique is called 'The Silk Road.' Would you like to keep the pearl, hyung? I'll give it to you."

N gestured impatiently.

"Should I leave? I'll send my servants to see you to a hospital or home," Hongbin asked.

"I'm fine. No hospital needed."  
He couldn't tell Hongbin that he had been jerking off and using a dildo up his ass each morning after sleeping with a naked Hongbin for the last fucking how many weeks! Nope! This jerk face is not going to get that satisfaction!

"Just let me think about... All this... Ummm alone... For a while..." he stalled.

Hongbin bit his lip and nodded. He left the room. N slept a while.  
He was wakened to a servant shaking him awake.

"Young master, it's evening. Would you like us to bring you food?" she asked.

"Where's Hongbin?" he asked groggily.

"He's left," Ken said from the shadows of a chair. "Leo hyung and Ravi left with him."

"Left?"

"You told him you needed to think alone for a while about all this. So yeah. He is now at an undisclosed location."


	10. Epilogue 2 Part 2 - I've Always Loved You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakyeon and Hongbin's story. WARNING!!!!!! SMUTFEST!!!!!!ADULT CONTENT!!!! LIBERAL USE OF CURSE WORDS!!!!!  
> TOTAL END OF HUNTER'S GAME!!!!!!

Just how long will that fucker… stay away? N groused. 

Not even Leo’s smiling face or concerned face can get N out of his mood.  He can’t believe he misses that stupid smiling fool!  It’s been three months since he’s last seen the other.  Since that incredible evening when… 

"You know, you can always hunt him down," Hyuk offered.  "You have two master hunters in the house, after all."

N swung his gaze to Ravi and to Leo.

 “Well?” he demanded.

Ravi chuckled.  “What precisely do you want to know, hyung?”

“How do I catch a hunter,” N said.

“Easy, you don’t,” Leo said.

 N narrowed his eyes at Leo.  “Well, you did it!”

 Ravi chuckled, his eyes sparkling.  “It’s not quite like that, hyung.  You need to play the prey if you want the hunter’s attention,” he said. 

“So what do I need to do?” N asked, his forehead burrowing in a frown. 

 “You need to set out bait,” Leo said.  “An invitation the hunter cannot resist.  Kind of like when a fisherman knows that the salmon will be plentiful in October to November around the coast of the States’ Pacific West –north west.  A picture of a large haul of Salmon attracts all the other fishermen out there with dreams of catching their own.”

“I don’t want all sorts of hunters, I just want that one,” N bit out. 

“Which one?” Ken asked. 

“Hongbin,” N muttered.  “That no good… piece of… $*$@% work.”

Ravi and Hyuk chuckled. 

“So, what can I bait him with?” N asked.

“How about your answer to his question?” Ravi asked.

“Actually, Binnie thinks that N has answered his question.  He thinks Yeon-ah said capital N capital O.  So, that’s why he left,” Leo said in a monotonous voice.

“I didn’t say that!  I said I wanted to think about it!” N exclaimed angrily.

“You said, ‘alone’.  Then you haven’t once contacted him since,” Leo said.  “So, he thinks you said, ‘Eff you.  No!’”

Initially, that’s what N had thought especially since Binnie wasn’t around for him to be tempted into… well… begging.  But he can’t escape his dreams.  They were worse than before!  Everything was silk and silk and silk and Xia’s current song, Bidan Gil, did not help!  How it got twisted up in his freaking dreams all the freaking time, he cannot comprehend!  He’s going crazy!  He needs him…  He needs that no good $%$#@!

“I would suggest leaving him alone if you don’t love him, Yeon-ah.  No matter how it is, Binnie is vulnerable to you.  And using him like that will kill him,” Leo warned.

“Or twist him,” Hyuk said.  “It’s kinda difficult to kill the Aossi.”

Leo looked at Hyuk balefully. Hyuk shrugged.  N  frowned.  It’s the truth.  So how did he feel about Binnie really?  He had been chasing Leo for so long, but he never really felt that… desire… to be with Leo.  He didn’t burn for his touch.  And knowing that the Chief was Ravi… since he belonged to Leo now (or did Leo belong to Ravi?),  he only felt gratitude towards the Chief.  Nothing more. 

He stared at Leo.  Then he stared at Ravi.  He stared at their joined hands.  They didn’t flaunt their togetherness.  It was quiet.  Well, except when they were fighting.  The whole house knew when Leo was displeased.  Or when Ravi was displeased.  It just seemed like they spend more time quietly enjoying their being together than dwelling on the little fights they had. 

“How did you know?” N asked loudly.

“Know what?” Leo asked.

“That you loved each other.”

Leo looked at Ravi pointedly. 

“What?” Ravi chuckled.  “I’m going to tell him that?”

Leo nodded.

“Well, it’s like this, hyung.  I’ve been hung up on him since I met him in the subway train.  I mean, like really like him,” Ravi started.

“To the point that he relocated from LA to Seoul,” Ken provided.

Ravi chuckled.  “Yeah.  That’s what happened.”

“But that’s just… tension…” N said.

Ravi laughed.  “Hyung, it starts there, I think.  The thing is, the more I got to know him, the more I wanted him.  I wanted to keep him.  I wanted…”

Leo nudged Ravi.  Ravi looked down at their clasped hands and looked into Leo’s eyes that twinkled.

“Let me finish,” Ravi admonished with a smile.  “Anyway, let’s just say that I knew it was love when I was willing to kill myself so he would be safe.  The point is, hyung, his happiness means more to me than mine.  His well-being means more.”

Leo’s fingers tightened on Ravi’s.

N knew Leo was thinking of when Ravi had bled on the sitting room floor because Leo and N had a most violent fight. 

Leo thought that N was encroaching on his prey.  Ravi was Leo’s precious prey, not N’s!  And the warning to stay away from Leo sent Leo over the edge.  He wanted Ravi to come to him, not stay away! 

N had not known just how deeply invested Leo was in Ravi at that time.  He had thought that Ravi was just another toy for Leo.  Someone easily forgotten.  Someone not that important.  Leo wanted to hurt him that time for the careless words he has said.  Words that were always said by him to others. 

It was only after Leo had calmed down did N know the importance Leo had assigned to Ravi.  It was only after Hongbin confirmed that Ravi was the Chief that N finally put the pieces together.  Leo had been after Ravi since that time. 

If it wasn’t for Ravi’s casted spell, Leo would have known of the danger sooner.  But until Ravi had fallen unconscious in the Kim mansion, the spell was kept intact.  N knew of the spells the Aossi could cast.  He was not so privileged as to do that.  Because if he did, he’d have cast a spell over Hongbin since that day that he found him in Leo’s bed. 

“So, don’t go looking for him, don’t set out bait, unless you love Binnie, Yeon-ah.  Love him the way he loves you,” Leo said.

N thought about it as he lay in Hongbin’s bed.  Did he love Binnie?  Yes.  He did.  As a brother.  As a dear friend.  As a lover… No, no, no!  Not… Okay, so he did crave… that… and that… and all that… and…

N groaned.  God, yes… He had fallen in love with his friend. No, no.  Not just fallen in love with.  He’s become obsessed with his friend.  He hasn’t slept in his bedroom since Hongbin left.  He’d slept in Hongbin’s.  He’s taken to using Hongbin’s clothes… well, the ones that didn’t look so incredibly humungous on him, the dratted tower!

What was he going to do?  He missed him so much it was hurting him bad.  The strains of Xia’s Bidan Gil swept through Hongbin’s room speakers.  Since that night, N had bought and downloaded the stupid fucking song. 

Of course!!!!  That’s it!  Bidan Gil!

 

~*~

 

Deep in the forest of Yellowstone National Park, surrounded by wolves at the moment, Hongbin was laying among the members of the pack when his phone buzzed. 

Hongbin sighed. 

“Well, guys, duty calls, I suppose.  I’ll have to catch you guys next time,” Hongbin said.  The wolves seemed to nod as they all got up and bounded back into the dense forest.

Hongbin looked at his phone. 

N?  Probably insults.  He hasn’t called or reached out in the last three months. 

Hongbin was dejected that he was rejected.  Perhaps Bidan Gil was just too much.  He sighed deeply.  He had just been so…  Ah, well.  He guessed it was time to cut N lose.  He didn’t want to be around when N found someone else to obsess over.  This was already painful.  How much more if he had to witness it first-hand.  He wished N happiness.  He just wished it was with Hongbin. 

He clicked the email open.

His jaw dropped. 

“I’m waiting for you to take me on Bidan Gil.  Or wherever you like.  I will answer your question when you come talk to me.  I also have a bone to pick with you,” it said. 

The picture sent made his breath hitch.  The bone was obvious. 

Hongbin took a deep breath.  Dare he?  It could be his last chance to taste such luscious fruit.  The druid way doesn’t seem so bad after all.  Just for that, once more, into the fire then. 

Hongbin entered the hotel room with trepidation.  His heart fell when he saw N fully clothed, sitting on a chair, by a side table. 

“Sit,” Leader Cha commanded. 

Hongbin took a deep breath. 

“Nice to know, I , at least, set the right bait,” Leader Cha said.

Hongbin poured out a measure of the Scotch that was on the table.  He drank it in one shot. 

“Don’t get drunk,” Leader Cha said.  “You have to answer some questions.  I have to tell you somethings.”

“Sure, whatever you want, Leader Cha,” Hongbin said, pouring another measure and drinking it down.

“Why did you give yourself to Leo, that night?”

Hongbin laughed hollowly.  “It’s Leo hyung.  Do you not know him at all?  Do you not know me at all?”

“What do you mean?”

“You think Leo hyung is so base as to take advantage of me when he’s in high pursuit of Ravi?  And I’ve been pursuing you since High School!  Hell, probably since primary!”  Another measure downed in one toss of a graceful hand. 

“Proof?” N asked.

“Ask Ravi.  He slept with us that night,” Hongbin threw out.  “Look.  I don’t think I can do this, hyung.   I thought I could but..”

Hongbin drew a deep breath.  He tossed down his fifth measure of Scotch and stood up. 

He looked at N longingly.  He caressed his cheek.  “I love you.   I’ve always loved you.  I can’t be around you and not touch you.  But I’m hurting.  And playing 20 questions just won’t help.  Not when you’re going to tell me that I’m not what you’re looking for.  I’m sorry.  Today is not a good day.”

He turned around abruptly and reached for the door.  He laughed bitterly.   
"I'm sorry, hyung. I gave in to what I've been craving for so long. Perhaps I shouldn't have seeing how far away I've pushed you. Ah, well. Water under the bridge. Be happy, hyung."

He was just about to step away through the door when he was jerked backwards suddenly. He found himself bound to a chair in red ropes.

N looked at him and said, "It's a little rude to just leave an elder without allowing him to talk, dongsaeng.  Has the Lee matriarch not taught you a thing regarding manners?"

Hongbin watched N warily.

He was lassoed. Like in the old American western movies N had become obsessed with when they were kids.  Hongbin had forgotten that he could do this. 

"Humans hunt, too, Aossi," N murmured as he secured Hongbin to the chair with more looped and knotted red rope.

"The rope is from silk threads," N said. "Should I gag you, like you did me?"

Hongbin shook his head negatively.

"Then shut it. One word out of you and I will gag you," N threatened.

Hongbin watched as N knelt and secured his legs to the chair legs.

He dared not think about anything lascivious, salacious, but damn!!! He's seen this on Kim Wonshik's computer! The subject was naked, but... He's not.

"So, you love me, you say," N began. Hongbin nodded his head.

"And then you use me, abuse me, and leave me,"  N enumerated his sins.

Hongbin opened his mouth when three fingers shoved themselves into his mouth.

"One word, Bin, and I will gag you!" N warned.

Hongbin instead licked and sucked at the fingers in his mouth.

N's eyes clouded over and his lips opened in surprise and he licked his suddenly dry lips.

"Umm... I..."

Hongbin's eyes never left N's. Since he's forbidden to speak and unable to move, he'll take what he can get. He sucked hard on N's fingers like he would have sucked on N's cock.

"Fuck!" N cursed.  He ripped his hand away from Hongbin's mouth, leaving a skein of saliva trailing across Hongbin's cheek.

Hongbin slurped and swallowed. Hongbin noted that N's gaze was drawn towards the bulge that had formed in Hongbin's pants. The position he was tied in hid nothing from the other man. He was exposed.

"Gawd, I want to fuck you," N muttered. 

Hongbin licked his lips suggestively. He opened his mouth slowly and rimmed his mouth with his tongue.

"You want my cock in your mouth?" N asked.

Hongbin grinned and nodded.

N groaned.

"Gawd dammit, Bin! Talk!"

"Since I'm bound, do to me what I've done to you. Use me, tease me, abuse me, fuck me up... And if you really can't forgive or forget, then leave me and toss me to the curb," Hongbin bargained.

N bit his lip.

"If I release you, will you only do what I want you to do? My rules... My play?"

Hongbin nodded.

"I'm the master, you're the slave," N clarified.

Hongbin grinned.  "Yes, master. All you ask, I will do."

"Then wipe that fucking smile off of your face," N commanded.

Hongbin's face fell. N went behind him. Something went around his neck. It felt like... A leather dog collar. Complete with owner's tags. He could feel the metal clinking as N fastened the thing behind his neck. N was holding something in his hand when he went in front of Hongbin. N clipped it to the ring in front of Hongbin's neck.  Then N unfurled the length of leather.

"This is long enough to smack your ass if you think to get away," N said.

It was made of braided leather.

"Do you understand, Hongbin?" N demanded.

Hongbin nodded. "Yes, master."

N knelt between Hongbin's leg and untied his legs from the chair.

"Not one sound, not one word," N commanded.

Hongbin nodded. N unzipped Hongbin's pants.

"Lift," N said. Hongbin lifted his ass off the chair and N pulled off his pants and underwear fluidly.

"My, my... What do we have here? Already!?!"

Hongbin blushed but bit his lip to refrain from saying a thing.

"Can't let it go to waste," N said.

He knelt hefore Hongbin and  took the turgid, pink throbbing cock into his mouth and laved it with his lips.

Hongbin sucked in a breath. And bit his lip. He will be bloody before the night is out he thinks.

N sucked his whole length down his throat. Hongbin bit back a moan. He shifted hips, undulating on the chair, unable to help himself straining deeper into N's mouth. He moaned.  
N took Hongbin out of his mouth with an obscene pop.

"Did I hear you?" N asked.

Hongbin shook his head no.

N narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Hongbin bit his lip hard. He tasted the metallic taste of his own blood.  N tsked.

N straddled Hongbin and cupped his face. Then the stinging sensation of N's tongue was on Hongbin's bloody lips.

"A good thing I like you, Aossi. Stop biting your lips. I like the taste of your blood, but I like kissing soft lips more," N said.

Hongbin's head reeled at the sensation of N grounding his own lips on Hongbin's. It took just a little more before Hongbin had what he needed. The binding ropes were red with his own blood and they fell away.  His hands wrapped around N and he ripped N's clothes away.

"Next time, human, think about who I am. I love you. I have said it again and again. I have showed this to you again and again. I came for a last taste of you, unable to resist the temptation of you. An Aossi first, human, is a hunter second. So, tell me, shall I continue what you've started? Or shall I leave you here?"

N ground his lips into Hongbin's mouth.  "Finish it," N moaned.

Hongbin impaled N on his turgid cock and was surprised to find the other already lubed.

"N is for naughty," Hongbin chuckled.

"Just fuck me, dammit!!! Damn hard and good," N moaned.

Hongbin did as he was bid. He undulated up and using N's ass cheeks as leverage, brought N up and down his turgid cock. 

"Yes! Like that!!! Just.... Ooooohhhhh!!!"

N grabbed at Hongbin's head and plundered his tongue into Hongbin's mouth as he clenched around Hongbin's cock and spewed a stream of cum between Hongbin's perfect abs and his own.   Hongbin pushed up as far as he could and spilled his own load deep into N.

N collapsed against Hongbin.

Hongbin looked at his 'master.' He was completely wiped out. He seemed to be unconscious. Hongbin chuckled.

"I love you," he whispered against N's temple.

Still deep inside the other man, he carried N to the bed a few steps away.

He slowly withdrew himself from N and carefully laid down the exhausted man. He arranged the sheets over the other and slid in after him. He pulled the other close and closed his eyes.

He woke to the scent of roses. Damask roses. Old English roses. He opened an eye and found roses forming from the embroidery on the bedspread. Thorns started to sprout underneath the flowers. More and more came and they were about to encircle N and Hongbin. He instinctively wrapped himself around N who was sleeping and protected him. The thorns bit into his flesh. He bit his lips against the pain. The door was kicked open.

"Hakyeon!" Leo bellowed, Ravi fast on his heels.

N woke and found thorns embedded into Hongbin who was protecting him.

"No..." N whimpered.

"Tell Hongbin you love him. Hurry!" Leo said.

"I love you!!!" N screamed. The thorns retreated until they were once again patterns in the bed covers.

Hongbin felt the pain still. He was bleeding, N wept.

"Who?" Hongbin asked Leo. Leo kept looking at N.

"Heal him," Leo commanded N.

"I..."

"His spilled blood, use it," Leo commanded.

N closed his eyes and immediately, the blood Hongbin had spilled turned to flowers. Resurrection flowers.

Almost immediately, Hongbin felt relief. And a shower of rose petals rained down on him.

N refused to look at him.

"I think I need an explanation," Hongbin said.

N looked at Leo with a pained expression.  "I told you this might happen," N told Leo.

"Why?" Hongbin asked.

"Shall I tell him or will you?" Leo asked N.

N curled into himself. He sat next to Hongbin with his legs close to his chest. He lay his head on his knees and wrapped his arms around his legs.  He looked so lonely and so tired.  Hongbin scooted next to him and curled himself around N.

"Whatever you have to say will not change how I feel about you," Hongbin said.

"This might," N said.

"I'm a freak. I have always been one. Leo knew since we were sixteen. I found out when we were sixteen. A certain 14 year old had casually given me a daisy for my birthday and said that I was as pretty as a flower.  I was so happy, that night, my room started sprouting flowers. I woke in the middle of a field of flowers. I started screaming. My mom came into my room with my dad and took in the scene. She started to laugh and cry and kiss me.  She said it was okay. It was my mother's gift. She was half Aossi who fell in love with a bastard human. She killed herself after he rejected her.  She was my adopted mother's half sister. The problem was that a week after, the same 14 year old handed a rose to some girl and told her she was as pretty as a rose. And that week, I decided to sleep over at Leo's place. Thorns and roses sprouted from Leo's wallpaper. They bound me and Leo up. Leo woke screaming. The Kim's figured out that they were directly related to my feelings. They knew I was Aossi somewhat. They knew my history. But they figured that my human blood would overpower the Aossi. It took Leo's spilled blood and mine to heal Leo. It also took a little more sacrifices that Kim Jaejoong had torn apart to make Leo and I whole again. The Jung's were ready to kill me, I think. Especially, Jung Yunho."

N paused for a breath. Hongbin tightened his embrace.

Leo sighed. "Because you gave that girl a rose, Yeon-ah has associated you with roses and thorns. When he is in an emotional state, this happens when he is asleep. You gave him that thorn, Binnie."

"That's why I never took your declarations of...love...seriously. Not since that time," N muttered.

Hongbin thought back to when he was 14. A girl and a rose? He chuckled. "You should have stayed until the end," he said. "I was the rose, Jaehwan was the song, and Hyukkie was the chocolate. Do you remember Jang Geun Suk sunbae? He coerced us into making this production for this girl. He paid us handsomely for it."

N looked at him strangely.

"I had never looked at a girl the way I looked at you, Yeon-ah," Hongbin said. "Monster you may be, but I still love you." 

He turned to Leo.  
"So, hyung, this thing he does, he can control it, right?"

Leo nodded. "When he's conscious.  When you two are ready, Kim Junsu and Kim Heechul will cast protective spells over Hongbin. Take your time."

Leo grabbed Ravi's hand and dragged the other away.

"He's Aossi?" Ravi asked Leo.

"Only quarter, Shik-ah. Now stop thinking of N. Think of me instead..."

Hongbin and N heard nothing of the rest of their conversation.

"You can let go now," N said.

"Why?" Hongbin assked.

"Didn't you just hear? I'm a freak! I don't deserve someone like you. And this could happen again."

Hongbin chuckled.  "Yeon-ah hyung, I will gladly die held by your thorns. I swear it." He slid kisses down the column of N's neck.

N moaned.

"Tell me again that you love me," Hongbin cajoled.

"I hate you," N moaned. "Just as much as I love you."

Hongbin laughed gutturally.  "I can live with that."

He bit N's shoulder lightly.   
"Do you think we can play normally for once and enjoy your bed of flowers, hyung?"

N looked into Hongbin's eyes and found happiness spilling over. He nodded suddenly shy and unable to speak.

"Then let me begin..." Hongbin whispered as he claimed N's lips with his in a tender kiss.

~*~

**FINI!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!**


End file.
